2016 is likely to end as the hottest year on record

2016 will likely turn out to be the hottest year on record, surpassing last year's totals, says an analysis released Monday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This year through November was the warmest on record during the 122 of record-keeping. January, February, March, April, May, June, July and August all set warmth records. "El Nino drove much of the record warmth during the first two-thirds of 2016, while a weak La Nina cooled the globe down during the past few months," NOAA said.

2016 has been 1.69 degrees hotter than the 20th-century global average temperature of 57.2 degrees, NOAA said. "The planet's sea-surface temperature was the second-warmest on record for November and the season from September to November. The land surface temperature was the 12th warmest on record for November and the eighth warmest from September to November." (NOAA graphic)