There's been no break from the globe's record heat — the first three months of 2015 have set new high temperature marks. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said last month's average temperature of 56.4 degrees (13.6 degrees Celsius) was the warmest March on record, averaging 1.5 degrees above the average for the 20th century. It broke a record set in 2010. For the first three months of 2015, the globe was 55.6 degrees (13.1 degrees Celsius), breaking the record set in 2002. Records go back to 1880.
NOAA climate scientist Jessica Blunden said 2015 probably will break 2014's hottest year mark if conditions persist. She blames a combination of El Nino, a blob of record hot water in the Northeast Pacific Ocean and human-caused climate change.
IN-DEPTH
- 2014 Breaks Record for Warmest Year, NOAA and NASA Experts Say
- Global Warming Helped Spur Syrian War, Study Says
- Climate Change Could Damage Oceans for Millennia
