Global and regional climate in 2016

2016 was another very warm year globally. Global temperatures in 2015 and 2016 were clearly the warmest two years on record. The record heat arose from the combined effect of the long-term temperature rise, attributed largely to greenhouse gases, and a temporary boost from the strong 2015/2016 El Niño event. Record low sea-ice extent was observed in a number of months in the Arctic, and December also saw record low extent for the Antarctic. Winter 2015/2016 was the second wettest winter on record for the UK. European-average temperatures in 2016 were nominally the third highest on record, slightly cooler than 2014 and 2015. © 2017 Crown Copyright