(Bloomberg) — Frosty didn't stand a chance. 

This has been, by far, the hottest year on record, and it's ending with an exclamation point. Holiday shoppers in New York's Rockefeller Center have been checking off their lists in weather that's an eerie 20 degrees warmer than normal. Meanwhile another stack of global temperature records has fallen.

Last month was the hottest November in 136 years of data, according to U.S. figures released Thursday, making it the ninth record-breaking month of 2015. This year has been so far off the charts, it's certain to go down as the hottest year on record even if December turns out to be unusually cool (it won't). 

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