The month of January was the second warmest on record, according to an analysis of global averages for temperature over land and sea surfaces, the US government said Thursday. The monthly report by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) comes on the heels of an announcement last month by the agency that 2014 was the hottest year on record.
"The globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces for January 2015 was the second highest for the month since record keeping began in 1880," said the report. "Land surface temperatures were also second highest for the month, while ocean surface temperatures were the third highest on record." The warmest January on record was in 2007, with globally averaged land and sea temperatures at 1.55 Fahrenheit (0.86 Celsius) above the 20th century average. This January was 1.39 F (0.77 C) above the 20th century average, the NOAA report said.