February, Winter Were Record Warm For Planet

While an exceptionally strong El Niño has provided a heat boost, the spate of record-breaking temperatures is largely due to human-caused warming, research has shown. According to NOAA, February was 2.18°F (1.21°C) above the 20th century average. NASA had slightly higher numbers, putting the month 2.43°F (1.35°C) warmer than average. But they used a different baseline than NOAA, comparing temperatures to the average from the period 1951-1980. Each agency also processes the temperature data slightly differently