2017 one of the hottest years on record

Earth last year wasn’t quite as hot as 2016’s record-shattering mark, but it did rank in the top 3. according to NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, globally, 2017 ranks as one of the top 3 hottest. How did Idaho rank up?

This past year Idaho Falls didn’t rank in the top 3 warmest years. In fact it didn’t even hit the top 20, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t feel the heat.

In Idaho, we were above average for the year.

“Since last year we have been warmer than average,” Nicole Peterson, a Meteorologist, said. “Especially this winter.”

At the national weather service office in Pocatello, they help provide weather, water, and climate data, as well as forecasts and warnings. They say the reason we felt the heat in 2017, was because of the La Niña advisory we have been in.

“Its been fairly typical for us, under that La Niña advisory,” Peterson said. “But we haven’t been as cold especially compared to last year.”

A La Niña is unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Pacific. Comparing to the El Niño, which was warm temperatures. They also say that we have been under a stable high pressure system compared to 2016.

“Colder air has really shifted towards the East coast,” Peterson said. “So we’ve been able to obtain that warmer temperatures compared to normal.”

Even though the Idaho snow might have been affected by the warmer temperatures with some ski resorts of course are looking for some.

Will still have got it.

“A lot of the higher elevations are still getting a lot of the snow that they are used to on average,” Peterson said. “Especially the higher elevations areas.”

Either way, 2017 has been the hottest year globally in over a century.

Water in the area has also been affected by the temperatures. Stream flow has been high – 125% higher than normal. With some carry over snow melt from last year combined with the fall rainfall. River flows have been good and low-level flow has been minimal.

Sea ice has also continued its declining trend, both in the arctic and antarctic. The antarctic, which was trending at record high levels just a few years ago, reached a record low during 2017. In the arctic, sea ice extent was the second-lowest since records began in 1979.

Either way, 2017 has been the hottest year globally in over a century.