Global temperature data averaged and adjusted to early industrial baseline, 1881-1910. Data as of April 19, 2017.

(NASA GISS and NOAA NCEI)

At a Glance

Scientists say global warming has made cold scarceon a planetary scale.A graphic clearly shows the alarming climate trend.

To say the world is having a streak like no other is an understatement. scarceon a planetary scale.

This March clocked in as the second warmest March on record when compared to the 20th-century average, according to newly released data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.NASA data published last week,comparing temperatures to a 1951-1980 baseline.

The NOAA data shows the planet was 1.9°F (1.05°C) above the 20th century average for March, the first time any month has breached the 1°C threshold in the absence of El Niño. This March is the latest freakishly hot month following three years in a row of record heat.

NOAA and NASA baselines don’t really tell the whole story. How much the world has warmed since pre-industrial times is afor international climate talks and aof how much climate change is altering the planet.

Using the baseline of 1881-1910, a new, more dire picture of global warming emerges. This March was 2.4°F (1.3°C) above the pre-industrial average by that measure. More notably, this March marks a whopping 627 months in a row of warmer than normal temperatures. If you were born after December 1964, you’ve never experienced a month cooler than average on this planet.

To understand what that looks like, take a peek at the global temperature chart below. Each month is represented by a box. Cool blues have been disappearing, replaced by a wave of unending heat. Climate change is likely to continue the streak of warmer than normal months into theas temperatures keep marching upward.

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Severe drought reveals the remains of a tree on the banks of the Madeira River near Nova Olinda do Norte, Brazil, Oct. 21, 2005. (© Daniel Beltrá, courtesy of Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago )