The National Centers for Environmental Information released its global climate report for January.
What You Need To Know
Globally, the past five Januarys have ranked in the top 10 warmest on recordÂ
In the U.S., near-record warmth was recorded in the West
Extended cold weather was observed in the East to end January
Global temperatures
Jan. 2026 ranked as the fifth-warmest January on record since 1850. The global average temperature was 1.12°C (2.02°F) above the 20th-century average. The past five Januarys (2022-2026) have landed in the top 10 warmest Januarys, with all the top 10 occurring since 2007.
Warmer-than average temperatures were recorded in the Arctic, Greenland, western Canada, the western U.S., southern and eastern Asia, Australia, Africa and the Atlantic.
On the other hand, below-average temperatures were recorded in Alaska, southeastern Canada, Europe, Russia, parts of the tropical Pacific Ocean, and the eastern U.S. Nowhere on Earth set a record for cold January temperatures.
Land and ocean temperature departure from average for Jan. 2026. (NCEI)
U.S. temperatures
The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. in January was 3.1°F above the 20th-century average. While Jan. 2026 didn’t rank in the top 10 warmest temperatures for the U.S., it was the 24th warmest January on record.
Above-average temperatures were recorded across the western portion of the country. Arizona, California, Utah and Oregon had one of their top 10 warmest starts to the year.
The beginning of January started off near average for the eastern portion of the U.S. However, an extended cold stretch affected the Southeast and the East. Notable winter storms in the South and the East occurred during the cold snap.
Despite the weeks of extended cold weather, most areas in the eastern half of the U.S. ended with near-average mean temperatures. Parts of the Ohio River Valley and the Mid-Atlantic were the only areas with a below-average mean temperature.
Mean temperature departures from average for the United States. (NCEI)
Overall, January is getting warmer and warmer each year. The global mean temperature for January was above-average for the 50th straight year. To learn more about averages and climate norms, click here.Â
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