- Hottest January on record sees the world reach 1.7°C warming mark | January was the hottest on record, at 1.7°C above the pre-industrial average for the month. This means there has been a 12-month period in which average global surface temperature was more than 1.5°C above the 1850 to 1900 average https://www.newscientist.com/article/2416231-hottest-january-on-record-sees-the-world-reach-1-7c-warming-mark/ 130 comments worldnews