- NASA and NOAA ranked 2018 as the fourth warmest year on record.
- The US experienced 14 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2018, which resulted in the deaths of at least 247 people and approximately $91 billion in damage.
- Since the 1880s, the average global surface temperature has risen about 2°F.
Continuing earth's long-term warming trend, NASA has reported that globally averaged temperatures in 2018 were 1.5°F warmer than the 1951 to 1980 mean. The warmest year on record was 2016.
While 2018 was the fourth warmest year on record globally, there were regional variations in average annual temperature. For example, NOAA reported that the 2018 annual average temperature for the contiguous 48 United States was the 14th warmest year on record. While some parts of the contiguous US experienced near-normal temperature much of the contiguous US was warmer than average, particularly west of the Rockies and across the coastal Southeast.
NOAA reports that 2018's weather story was more about wetness than heat. Precipitation for the contiguous US averaged 34.69 inches above average, the third wettest year on record.
LEARN MORE
- A map of the globe of that indicates US billion-dollar weather and climate disasters that occurred around the world in 2018.
- Earth’s long-term warming trend can be seen in this visualization of NASA’s global temperature record, which shows how the planet’s temperatures are changing over time, compared to a baseline average from 1951 to 1980. The record is shown as a running five-year average.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
- Discover small changes that you can make at home and in the yard, and on the road to reduce GHG pollution and save money.
- Use the EPA's Household Carbon Footprint Calculator to discover where you can most effectively take actions to reduce your GHG emissions.
Sources:
- NASA. 2019. "2018 fourth warmest year in continued warming trend, according to NASA, NOAA". Accessed Online February 15, 2019. https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2841/2018-fourth-warmest-year-in-continued-warming-trend-according-to-nasa-noaa/
- NASA. 2018. "Long-Term Warming Trend Continued in 2017: NASA, NOAA". Accessed Online February 15, 2019. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/long-term-warming-trend-continued-in-2017-nasa-noaa
- NOAA. 2019. "2018 was 4th hottest year on record for the globe". Accessed Online February 15, 2019. https://www.noaa.gov/news/2018-was-4th-hottest-year-on-record-for-globe
- NOAA. 2018. "NOAA: 2017 was 3rd warmest year on record for the globe". Accessed Online February 15, 2019. http://www.noaa.gov/news/noaa-2017-was-3rd-warmest-year-on-record-for-globe