2010 ties 2005 for Earth’s warmest year

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists report that 2010 tied with 2005 as the warmest year of the global surface temperature record. Records began in 1880. This was the 34th consecutive year with global temperatures above the 20th century average. For the contiguous U.S. alone, the 2010 average annual temperature was above normal, resulting in the 23rd warmest year on record.
Combined global land and ocean annual surface temperatures (58.12°F) for 2010 tied with 2005 as the warmest such period on record at 1.12°F above the 20th century average (57°F). The global land surface temperatures for 2010 were tied for the second warmest on record at 1.73°F above the 20th century average.
According to the Global Historical Climatology Network, 2010 was the wettest year on record, in terms of global average precipitation. As with any year, precipitation patterns were highly variable from region to region.