January second warmest on record globally

Washington: January 2015 was the second warmest on record globally, just behind 2007, with temperatures 0.77 Celsius above the average for the 20th century, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Meteorologists calculated that the United States in January was 1.6 Celsius warmer than normal, making it the 24th warmest January since 1880, even though there were record snowfalls in parts of the US northeast.

China had its warmest January since that nation started keeping records in 1961 with last month 1.9 degrees Celsius warmer than normal. Some areas in southern Siberia and far eastern Russia were more than 5 degrees Celsius warmer than normal for January.

Parts of Norway were 5 to 7 degrees Celsius warmer than normal, while Eastern Austria was 3.8 degrees Celsius warmer than normal. Northern Australia, eastern Canada, and parts of the southern and eastern United States were cooler than normal, but not too much cooler.