Last month was the seventh-warmest February in the climate record and December through February was the sixth-warmest meteorological winter, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The February global land and ocean surface temperature was 0.81°C above the 20th-century average last month.
North America was the only continent with below average temperatures for February.
December 2021 to February 2022 was 0.84°C warmer than the 20th-century average, making it the fifth-warmest for that period.
The Northern Hemisphere had its sixth-warmest meteorological winter in the same period, and the Southern Hemisphere had its seventh-warmest meteorological summer.
A map of the world plotted with some of the most significant climate events that occurred during February 2022. (NOAA NCEI)
Antarctic sea ice was also the smallest amount on record, with 29.6 per cent less than average for the month, surpassing the previous low in February 2017.
According to National Centers for Environmental Information, there is a greater than 99 per cent chance that 2022 will rank among the 10 warmest years on record.
In February, the world also had a higher than average number of tropical cyclones, with eight named storms, four of which became hurricanes.
Laura Brougham
