
Scientists in the EU are already dubbing this year the hottest year on record after five consecutive months with record warmth across the globe, but how did that translate in Chicago?
Let's break it down.
First, let's look at what happened globally.
According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the global mean temperature from January through November 2023 is 2.63 degrees above the pre-industrial average (1850-1900), and 0.23 degrees higher than the same time period in 2016, currently the hottest year on record.
November 2023 was the warmest November on record, with an average surface air temperature of 57.6 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 1.53 degrees above the 30-year average.
Every month since June has been the warmest month on record globally. Here’s how the months in 2023 rank so far.
January: 7th warmest
February: 4th warmest
March: 2nd warmest
April: 5th warmest
May: 3rd warmest
June: Warmest
July: Warmest
August: Warmest
September: Warmest
October: Warmest
November: Warmest
With 2023 likely ending up as the hottest year on record, we now have the past 10 years making up the top 10 hottest years for the globe.

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Weather
What about Chicago?
That’s globally. So let’s look at what kind of year we’ve had in Chicago.
So far we haven’t had any record-breaking months. We haven’t even had an individual month make the top 10. However every month this year has had an above-average mean temperature.
January was highest above-average month and ranked 11th for the warmest month of January. February was the second highest with the 2023 mean temperatures 6.1 degrees above average.

The average overall temperature in Chicago from January to November is 55.4 degrees, which is currently the warmest on record. However, our colder days in the next three weeks will likely lower that average at least a couple of degrees.
Temperatures are expected to be at or above average the rest of December, and if we just hit the average mean temperature mark for the month, 2023 will still end up in the top five warmest years for Chicago.
Here are the current warmest years for Chicago:
- 2012
- 1921
- 1931
- 1998
- 2021
- 2020
- 1953
- 1954
- 2017
- 1973
Our local climate may be hotter or colder than the mean global temperatures, but a big contributing factor is the warming of the oceans. El Nino is still expected to be active through this winter, and sea surface temperatures continue to be well-above average.