moondong the statements of hottest years or 13 of 14 hottest years etc are misleading.
I am assuming in this case that the homogenization and adjustments are all legit.
The statement still does not mean anything.
We had a rise (or peak depending in which cruddy ((crud3)) chart you want to use) from 98.
It is simple as the glass half full or is it half empty. So if temps have remain steady or slightly decreasing then by definition since 98 they will be the highest. Subterfuge and the sheep fall for it.
If this was a stock chart i would be getting worried. The highs in the last 16 have been fewer and the lows are getting lower..
The Lows are breaking support levels.
