There’s been a noticeable temperature rise even when taking out El Nino variations and expected climate change since 2020, Hansen said. He noted recent shipping regulations that have resulted in reduced sulfur pollution, which reflects some sunlight away from Earth and effectively reduces warming. And that will continue, he said.

The average surface air temperature was 55.81 degrees Fahrenheit That's 1.42 degrees Fahrenheit above the 1991-2020 average for the month.

For Americans, news of a record warm January might seem odd given how cold it was. But the U.S. is just a tiny fraction of the planet’s surface.