The year 2015 proved to be the warmest year worldwide, but what does that mean?
Records of the world's yearly temperatures began in 1880. Since then, last year was the warmest so far, with temperatures reaching 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average across the globe's surface, according to Accuweather.
Not only that, it seems the warmest weather periods began in the 21st century, with 15 of the warmest years on record occurring on and after the year 2001.
"For our land temperatures, they broke the all time warmest temperatures by a larger degree than any other record that we have had in the past," said Thomas R. Karl, the director of the National Centers for Environmental Information. "The 2015 data continues a pattern we have seen over the last four to five decades."
This increase in heat also affected the Earth's snow cover, according to Fox News.
The annual snow cover for the northern hemisphere was 9.5 million square miles, which is considered the 11th smallest annual snow cover.
The year of 2015 was warmer than 2014, and many experts are assuming that the pattern will hold for 2016, according to KQED.
"If you're gonna be betting, I'd bet that 2016 will be warmer than 2015," added Karl.
