April 2016 was the hottest April in recorded history.
March broke all the records the month before. February did the same thing, and so did every other month all the way back to May 2015.
That's 12 months of record-high temperatures around the globe — something that's never happened before.
In April, the planet averaged 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer than the 20th century average.
That 1.1 degree difference marks the biggest departure in temperature for April, and fourth biggest departure when compared to the 1,636 months on record! The very recent months of March 2016, February 2016 and December 2015 are the only months to surpass that difference.
Experts point to climate change as the primary reason for the unrivaled heat wave. The most recent El Niño also helped things along.
The most recent 1.1 degree Celsius increase is making the 1.5 degree Celsius target set at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris looking that much more unlikely.
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