Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas
Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters
September 2018 ranked as the fifth-warmest September on record dating back to 1895, with monthly temperature anomalies shown on this map. Image: NASA
September 2018 was the planet's fifth-warmest September on record, and the world is poised to record its fourth-warmest year, according to new data NASA released Monday.
Why this matters: According to Gavin Schmidt, the director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, 2018 is also likely to be the fourth year in a row with an average temperature of 1ºC, or 1.8ºF, above the 19th century average. A recent climate report from the UN warned of severe consequences if global warming is not limited to 1.5ºC, or 2.7ºF, above average, compared to preindustrial levels.
The details: During September, the eastern U.S. was much warmer than average, as was Europe, the Russian Arctic and Alaska. South America, Africa and Australia were also warmer than average. In fact, Earth's only cool spots during September could be found in northwest Canada, parts of the North Atlantic near Greenland and northeastern Antarctica.
Based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which also keeps tabs on global temperatures:
- The five warmest years in the global record have all come in the 2010s.
- The 10 warmest years on record have come since 1998.
The big picture: With an El Niño event developing in the tropical Pacific Ocean, it's likely that 2019 will be warmer than 2018, since such events tend to transfer more heat from the oceans to the atmosphere.
- The scientific community has concluded that human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases are behind the sharp warming trend seen in recent decades and that only sharp cuts in such emissions can reverse such a trend.
Between the lines: President Donald Trump, however, may disagree with this conclusion, saying in an interview with "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday that he's not sure if climate change is "man-made."
"I think something’s happening. Something’s changing and it’ll change back again. I don't think it's a hoax, I think there's probably a difference. But I don't know that it's man-made."
Go deeper: Key global warming target slipping out of reach, UN scientists warn