Land-surface temperatures reached a record high in 2010
According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), land temperatures around the world hit a record high in 2010 as heat waves led to droughts. Land-surface temperatures averaged 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) above the 20th-century average, the NOAA said in a report. The average land temperature from 1901 to 2000 was 47.3 degrees Fahrenheit, it shows. Ocean-surface temperatures were the third-highest ever at 0.88 degree Fahrenheit above the 1901-2000 average. These high temperatures led to droughts in Russia, China and South America, and hot weather caused thousands of deaths. “Several exceptional heat waves occurred during 2010, bringing record-high temperatures and affecting tens of millions of people,” the NOAA said. “The massive heat wave brought Russia its warmest summer (June-August) on record. At least 15,000 deaths in Russia were attributed to the heat.”