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2016 Ends As 5th Warmest In Colorado, But Warmest On Record For Earth

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - The good folks at the Colorado Climate Center have been busy crunching numbers since the first of the year, and they've determined that 2016 was the 5th warmest on record for the state.

Colorado's average temperature for 2016 was 47.3°F which is 2.7°F above average. Only the years of 1934, 1954, 2012 and 2015 have been warmer.

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(credit: Colorado Climate Center)

For the United States, 2016 was the second warmest year on record.

Globally, it was the warmest year since modern records began in 1880, according to data from NASA and NOAA. Earth's temperature in 2016 was 1.78°F warmer than average.

It's the third year in a row that Earth has set a new record high.

For more information about how scientists determine global average temperature click here.

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Global temperature anomalies averaged from 2012 through 2016 in degrees Celsius. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio. Data provided by Robert B. Schmunk (NASA/GSFC GISS).

Meteorologist Chris Spears writes about stories related to weather and climate in Colorado. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.

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