2020 Ties 2016 as Earth’s Hottest Year on Record, Even Without El Niño to Supercharge It Annual reports from European and Japanese climate agencies show that last year was yet another marked by extraordinary global heat. January 8, 2021 Anthony Aco and Troy Sacaguin, left to right, check out the thermometer at Calvary Church in Woodland Hills, California, as it registers 117 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. Credit: Al Seib/Los Angeles Times Related Share this article European climate scientists have tallied up millions of temperature readings from last year to conclude that 2020 was tied with 2016 as the hottest year on record for the planet.