USA TODAY • December 31, 2024
As the clock ticks down the final moments of the year, 2024 is expected to wind up as the world's hottest year on modern record, surpassing the previous record for the second year in a row. Even though global average temperatures dropped below 2023 records at times during the second half of the year, air and ocean temperatures were still warmer than average overall, based on charts by the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer. While scientists aren't as certain that a new U.S. annual record will be set, the first 11 months of the year were the warmest on record in the contiguous U.S.