Climate Change

New Report Says 2016 Is 'Very Likely' To Be The Warmest Year On Record

A new study from the British Met Office says the global mean temperature is expected to rise between 0.72 degrees Celsius and 0.96 degrees Celsius.

New Report Says 2016 Is 'Very Likely' To Be The Warmest Year On Record
Getty Images / Dan Kitwood
Article by Samantha Crook
SMS
December 18, 2015

2016 is on track to be the warmest year on record, according to a global temperature forecast released Thursday. (Video via British Met Office)

The U.K.'s weather service, the British Met Office, says the global mean temperature is expected to rise between 0.72 degrees Celsius and 0.96 degrees Celsius above temperatures from the latter half of the 20th century.

A researcher said: "2015 is on track to be the warmest year on record, and this forecast suggests 2016 is likely to be at least as warm, if not warmer."

The report says "man-made global warming" was, unsurprisingly, a factor in their forecast. (Video via British Met Office)

El Nino was also a consideration, but played a smaller role. (Video via NOAA)

El Niño temporarily warms waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean and impacts weather in a variety of ways, depending on where you are in the world. Beyond just temperature, El Niño can contribute to intense wind, rainfall and drought. (Video via National Weather Service)

The British Met Office doesn't expect constant, consecutive record-breaking temperatures. But notable 2015 and 2016 temperatures show how impactful natural weather fluctuation in combination with man-made factors can be. (Video via British Met Office)