14 July 2011

7th Warmest June on Record- NOAA/NCDC

Posted by Dan Satterfield

 

From the National Climate Data Center today:

The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for June 2011 was the seventh warmest on record at 60.94 F (16.08 C), which is 1.04 F (0.58 C) above the 20th century average of 59.9 F (15.5 C). The margin of error associated with this temperature is +/- 0.13 F (0.07 C).

Arctic sea ice continues to melt at a very rapid rate, and is now well below the level of 2007 (The lowest year on record). Still, a change in weather patterns may still keep it from dropping below 2007 in early September. As the Duke of Wellington said about Waterloo- It will be a damn near rum thing.

Global Temperature Highlights: Year to date

  • The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for the January – June period was 0.90 F (0.50 C) above the 20th century average of 56.3 F (13.5 C), making it the 11th warmest first six months on record. The margin of error is +/- 0.16 F (0.09 C).
  • The January – June worldwide land surface temperature was 1.39 F (0.77 C) above the 20th century average — the 12th warmest such period on record. The margin of error is +/- 0.36 F (0.20 C). Warmer-than-average conditions were prevalent across most of Russia and Europe, Mexico, the southern and eastern United States, most of Alaska, and northwestern Africa. Cooler-than-average regions prevailed over much of the northern United States, Southeast Asia, part of Kazakhstan and eastern Russia, northern Ukraine, and much of Australia.
  • The global ocean surface temperature for the year to date was 0.72 F (0.40 C) above the 20th century average and was the 11th warmest such period on record. The margin of error is +/-0.07 F (0.04 C). The warmth was most pronounced across most of the central and western Pacific, the north Atlantic near Greenland, the equatorial Atlantic, and much of the mid-latitude southern oceans.
  • Neither El Niño nor La Niña conditions were present during June 2011. According to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, these ENSO neutral conditions are expected to continue into the Northern Hemisphere fall 2011.

Polar Sea Ice and Precipitation Highlights

  • The average Arctic sea ice extent during June was 9.44 percent below average, ranking as the second smallest June extent since satellite records began in 1979.
  • The June 2011 Antarctic sea ice extent was 0.56 percent below average and was the 12th smallest June extent since records began in 1979.
  • Many regions of the Arctic experienced below average ice extent during June, particularly the Kara Sea along the Siberian coast. Southern regions of the sea, which are typically ice covered by the end of June, were completely ice free.
  • Unseasonal rainfall was prevalent in some parts of South Africa during June. Twelve stations reported June rainfall amounts more than ten times higher than average.