It’s official: 2014 was the warmest year on record with more than 20 European countries smashing records.
The State of the Climate 2014 report by the American Meteorological Society found that the warmth was experienced across the globe.
Ireland reported above-average temperatures nearly everywhere in the country, however the country also experienced its wettest winter since records began in 1866, according to the report.
Some areas in Ireland recorded totals up to more than 200% of normal while most of central Europe except the Alps had below-average precipitation totals, it says.
Last year, it says that the most essential indicators of Earth’s changing climate continued to reflect trends of a warming planet, with several markers such as rising land and ocean temperature, sea levels and greenhouse gases – setting new records.
Africa had above-average temperatures across most of the continent throughout last year, while Australia saw its third warmest year on record, the report found.
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation was in a neutral state during 2014, although it was on the cool side of neutral at the beginning of the year and approached warm El Niño conditions by the end of the year, it says.
This pattern played a major role in several regional climate outcomes, the report found.
Thomas R Karl, Director National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information, said the report gives us a picture of what happened last year.
“The variety of indicators shows us how our climate is changing, not just in temperature but from the depths of the oceans to the outer atmosphere,” he said.