736 Record Highs

2014, 2015 and 2016 produced successive record highs in global temperatures.  El Niño helped contribute to this, though it's important to point out that in an El Niño phase, heat that was previously absorbed into the ocean is released into the atmosphere.  Often, though not always, an El Niño is followed by its reverse, La Niña, which is associated with lower global temperatures, as atmospheric heat is taken up by the world's oceans.

According to NOAA, January's temperature anomaly was below January 2016's.   And the probability is that this will be broadly true for the remaining months of 2017.  However, we have seen record heat in Australia, and now we're seeing records tumble in the US, where February (winter in the northern hemisphere) temperatures are at the sort of highs usually seen in summer.  736 new record highs were set this week, with no record lows.  [Read more here]

I wonder how long it will be and how much it will take before the denialists concede that they were wrong.  And whether by then it will be too late.

(Source)