By RAY WYCHE
Staff Writer

Greenhouse gases or not, the world is becoming a warmer place and Columbus County is following along.

The National Climatic Data Center reported that the January 2007 global land and ocean surface temperatures were the highest on record for any January, with an increase of 1.53 degrees over the 20th century average.

Last century’s worldwide average January temperature is 53.6 degrees.

According to records at the N. C. Crop Research Station northwest of Whiteville, the average (mean) temperature for January has risen from 40.46 in 2003 to 48.75 for last month. January 2006 showed even warmer average monthly temperatures with 50.60 degrees being recorded.

January’s average high temperature for 2005 was 46.81 compared to 41.74 for 2004.

Information from the National Climatic Data Center noted that during the past century, global surface temperatures have increased at a rate of about .11 degrees per decade, but since 1976, the rate of increase has been three times larger than the decade average.