2022 Fifth Warmest Year on Record Since 1850
Posted on January 12, 2023 by Robert Rohde
Berkeley Earth, a California-based non-profit research organization, has been preparing independent analyses of global mean temperature changes since 2013. The following is our report on global mean temperature during 2022.
We conclude that 2022 was nominally the fifth warmest year on Earth since 1850. Our estimate of the global mean temperature in 2022 was slightly warmer than 2021 and similar to 2015. Given the uncertainties associated with temperature measurements, 2022 and 2015 are essentially tied, making 2022 consistent with either the fifth or sixth warmest year. .
The last eight years have included all eight of the warmest years observed in the instrumental record.
Year-to-year rankings are likely to reflect short-term natural variability. In 2021 and 2022, a persistent La Niña event has reduced temperatures somewhat compared to years without a La Niña event. Overall, the long-term trend remains consistent with an ongoing pattern of global warming. The cyclic warming and cooling due to El Niño and La Niña are one of the largest sources of year-to-year internal variability in the global average temperature, often adding or subtracting 0.1 °C from the global average. It is fairly likely that once El Niño related warming returns, that we will also see a new record warm year.
While not a record warm year overall, 8.5% of the Earth’s surface did have a record warm annual average locally in 2022. By chance, these areas coincided with a number of major population centers, including in Western Europe. We estimate that 850 million people experienced a record warm annual average in 2022. None of the Earth’s surface had a record cold annual average in 2022.
In addition, 2022 was notable for:
New national record high annual averages for 28 countries, including the UK, Spain, France, Germany, New Zealand, and China
Record warmth in Western Europe, including the first ever 40 °C day in the United Kingdom
Ongoing long-lived La Nina event, providing a extended period of slightly reduced temperatures
March heatwave in Antarctica that produced the highest temperature excursion above normal ever measured anywhere on Earth
Droughts affecting Europe, China, and US Southwest. Floods in Pakistan.
Nominally the 7th warmest year on land and the 6th warmest year in the oceans.