2001 Was Second Warmest Year on Record

globally (with records going back to 1880), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Only 1998 was warmer. Temperatures in the United States were the sixth warmest since records were first kept in 1895. NOAA believes that conditions are ripe for 2002 to become a record-breaking year, because of observed Pacific Ocean warming—a trend that could lead to El Niño conditions by early spring.