datoid

January 1988 recorded a temperature anomaly of 0.57°C, jumping 2.8 standard deviations above the 60-point rolling mean of 0.22°C. This represents the highest reading in the series, breaking above a pattern of relatively stable anomalies around 0.1-0.4°C. The spike coincides with atmospheric CO₂ reaching 431.12 ppm (up 0.6% quarterly) and occurs during a period of economic expansion - GDP grew 1.4% with unemployment at record lows of 4.3%. The timing suggests potential linkage between rising greenhouse gases and temperature extremes during this late-1980s period.