SARASOTA – If last year had you seeking some heat relief, it was for good reason.
NOAA – the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – ranks 2020 as the second warmest year on record worldwide, slightly below 2016.
All areas in dark red recorded their warmest years, areas such as Russia and much of Europe and South America. No areas were record cold.
For oceans in the northern hemisphere, there was no warmer year than 2020. And those warm oceans, over one and three quarters degrees above average, provided plenty of fuel for hurricanes. The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic season with a record-breaking 30 named storms, 12 of which made landfall in the US. 10 storms formed in September alone, the most recorded in any month.
Closer to home, it was the Suncoast’s warmest year on record, running around three degrees above the average.
And nowhere was this more pronounced than our overnight lows.
Due to the higher humidity, we were waking up to summer-like lows for half of November, whereas in July, we were waking up to the 80s due to the unusually muggy conditions. 80s, a normally rare or nonexistent occurrence in July, we were hitting regularly for half the month.
Averaging all the numbers, we were around three degrees above normal at SRQ in 2020.
For the full climate report, follow this link.