According to scientists at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, February 2020 has been ranked as the second-hottest February in the 141-year global climate record.
The meteorological winter hardly made an appearance in large parts of the Northern Hemisphere this year, as both Europe and Asia recorded their warmest winters ever.
As a quick note, astronomical seasons are based on the position of Earth in relation to the sun, whereas meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle.
The average global land and ocean surface temperature for February 2020 was 2.11 degrees F (1.17 degrees C) above the 20th-century average and the second-highest on record behind 2016.
Earth’s 10 warmest Februarys have all occurred since 1998.
More notable climate events in this report
- Parts of the globe sweltered in February: Both Asia and the Caribbean region had their warmest February on record. No land or ocean areas had record-cold February temperatures.
- Sea-ice coverage ran below average at both poles: The month saw Arctic sea ice coverage at 4.0 percent below the 1981–2010 average, while coverage in the Antarctic was 6.5 percent below average. Still, Antarctica saw its highest February sea ice extent since 2015.
- 2020 is off to a balmy start: The Northern Hemisphere had its hottest January through February period since global records began in 1880. The Southern Hemisphere had its second-warmest such period, behind 2016.
In addition, the global temperature departure from average for February was the highest monthly temperature departure without an El Niño present in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
Reference- NOAA website and PR