"Cooler" Global November Still Wicked Hot Compared To The Past

Record warmth in much of North America was partly
offset by cold weather in parts of Asia and Siberia
in November, 2016, leading the month
to become the fifth warmest on record for the Earth. 

New data shows that November, 2016 was "only" the fifth hottest on record for Planet Earth, cementing the end to a nearly two year trend of almost monthly record hottest months.

The relative cool down was expected, as the Earth tends to chill out slightly several months after an El Nino ends, as is the case now.

That's especially true when we get a La Nina episode, when waters in the Pacific off of South America cool down.

A weak La Nina is underway now. November globally "cooled" to fifth warmest since 1880 largely as a result of La Nina.

Still fifth warmest on record is pretty damn hot, and 2016 almost assuredly will go down as the Earth's hottest year in modern records, says NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information. 

Near record November heat in much of Canada and north central parts of the United States an in the Arctic was partly offset by cold weather in parts of northern Asia and Siberia in November.

In general, climatologists believe 2017 as a whole across the globe will be a bit cooler than the record levels of 2015 and 2016, but will still be well above normal as climate change continues to assert itself.