Instrumental Temperature Record - Warmest Years

Warmest Years

The list of warmest years on record is dominated by years from this millennium; each of the last 11 years (2001–2011) features as one of the 12 warmest on record. Global temperatures are affected by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), with the extremes of El Niño and La Niña leading respectively to unusually warm and cool years. 2010 as an El Niño topped the previous record set in the El Niño year of 1998. While 2011 as an La Niña year was cooler, it was still the 11th warmest year since records began in 1880. Over the more recent record, 2011 was the warmest "La Niña year" in the period from 1950 to 2011, and was close to the global temperatures of 1997 which was not at the lowest point of the cycle.

Although the NCDC temperature record begins in 1880, less certain reconstructions of earlier temperatures suggest these years may be the warmest for several centuries to millennia.

The values in the table above are anomalies from the 1901–2000 global mean of 13.9°C. For instance, the +0.55°C anomaly in 2007 added to the 1901–2000 mean of 13.9°C gives a global average temperature of 14.45 °C (58.00 °F) for 2007.

The coolest year in the record was 1911.