Nation 2020 falls just short of being Earth’s hottest year on record as global warming continues January 14, 2021January 14, 2021 Doyle Rice, USA TODAY Comments Off on 2020 falls just short of being Earth’s hottest year on record as global warming continues While NASA said that 2020 tied with 2016 as the warmest year on record, other groups, such as NOAA, said it was the second-warmest year.