World Experiences 4th Warmest January On Record: NOAA

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Last month was the fourth warmest January since record keeping began in 1880, trailing only 2002, 2003 and 2007, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Thursday.

The globally-averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces for January was 0.65 degrees Celsius over the 20th century average of 12.0 degrees Celsius, the NOAA said its monthly report.

"It also marked the 38th consecutive January and 347th consecutive month (almost 29 years) with a global temperature above the 20th century average," the NOAA said. "The last below- average January global temperature was January 1976 and the last below-average global temperature for any month was February 1985."

Most areas of the world experienced warmer-than-average January, with the most notable warmth across Alaska, western Canada, southern Greenland, south-central Russia, Mongolia, and northern China. Parts of southeastern Brazil and central and southern Africa experienced record warmth.

Meanwhile, the eastern half of the United States, Mexico and much of Russia were cooler than average, but no regions of the globe were record cold.

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