2019 was the second-warmest year on record

The year marked the end of the world’s hottest decade in 140 years

Tel Aviv heat wave

Israel was hit by an early heat wave in May 2019, with temperatures soaring above 40° Celsius in many cities, such as Tel Aviv (shown).

Ilia Yefimovic/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images

The year 2019 is officially the second warmest in the 140-year record of modern temperatures compiled by both NASA and the U.S.