annualtemps_various_baselines_1850-2023-to-date.png

How far the global temperature is above average depends on how you define average. For NOAA's global temperature dataset, "pre-industrial" is defined as the period from 1850-1900. For routine monthly reports, NOAA compares monthly temperatures to the 20t^h-century average. NOAA Climate.gov graph, based on data from NCEI.