January–April Global Temperature Highest Ever Recorded

Global temperature rises to a new record across land and ocean surfaces: Report

During January–April 2015, the average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 0.80°C (1.44°F) above the 20th century average—the highest for the period since 1880, NCDC reported.

Global highlights: Year-to-date (January–April 2015)

• The January–April globally-averaged land surface temperature was 1.48°C  (2.66°F) above the 20^th century average—the highest for the period since records began in 1880.
• The globally-averaged sea surface temperature for the period was 0.55°C (0.99°F) above the 20^th century average, tying  with 2010 as the second highest for January–April on record, trailing 1998 by 0.04°F (0.02°C).

Global highlights: April 2015

• The April globally-averaged sea surface temperature (SST) was 0.60°C (1.08°F) above the 20th century average—the highest for April ever recorded, said NCDC.
• April’s average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 0.74°C (1.33°F) above the 20^th century average, making it the fourth highest for April on record.
• The April globally-averaged land surface temperature was 1.11°C (2.00°F) above the 20^th century average, making it the 10^th highest for April in the 1880–2015 record.

Polar Icecaps

• The average Arctic sea ice extent for April was more than 800,000 square kilometers ( 310,000 square miles) about 5.5 percent below the 1981–2010 average, or the second smallest April extent since records began in 1979, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) reported. The 2007 April extent was 78,000 square kilometers (30,000 square miles) smaller.
• Antarctic sea ice in April was 1,657,000 square kilometers (640,000 square miles) about 22.4 percent above the 1981–2010 average, making it the largest April Antarctic sea ice extent on record, surpassing the previous record of 2014 by 26,000 square kilometers (10,000 square miles).

Source: NOAA National Climatic Data Center, State of the Climate: Global Analysis for April 2015, published online May 2015, retrieved on May 20, 2015 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/201504.

Related Links

• Warmest Ever: March and Q1, 2015 April 18, 2015

Warmest Ever: March and Q1, 2015

Record low Arctic sea ice extent for March

Globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces (SST) for March 2015 was the highest for the month since record keeping began 135 years ago. The average temperature was also record high for the first quarter of the year, said the State of the Climate report.

Global Highlights: March 2015

• Globally averaged temperature for land and SST was 1.53°F (0.85°C) above the 20th century average, the highest for March in the 1880–2015 record, surpassing the previous record of 2010 by 0.09°F (0.05°C).
  • Globally-averaged land surface temperature was 2.97°F (1.65°C) above  average, tied  with 1990 as the second highest for the month on record.
  • SST was 0.99°F (0.55°C) above average, third highest ever recorded for March (1880–2015).
• The average Arctic sea ice extent for March was 430,000 square miles (7.2 percent) below the 1981–2010 average—the smallest March extent since records began in 1979 (NSIDC).
• Antarctic sea ice during March was 420,000 square miles (24.3 percent) above the 1981–2010 average— second largest March Antarctic sea ice extent on record.
  • The record largest March Antarctic sea ice extent occurred in 2008 and was 100,000 square miles larger than the March 2015 extent. [1 square mile ~ 2.6km²]

March 2015 Selected Climate Anomalies and Events Map (NOAA)

Global highlights: Year-to-date (January–March 2015)

• Globally averaged temperature for land and SST was 1.48°F (0.82°C) above the 20^th century average, the highest for the first quarter in the 1880–2015 record, surpassing the previous record of 2002 by 0.09°F (0.05°C).
• Globally-averaged land surface temperature was 2.86°F (1.59°C) above the 20^th century average, the highest for January–March on record, surpassing the previous record of 2002 by 0.09°F (0.05°C)
• SST for Q1 was 0.95°F (0.53°C) above the 20^th century average, the third highest for January–March in the 1880–2015 record.

NOAA National Climatic Data Center, State of the Climate: Global Analysis for March 2015, published online April 2015, retrieved on April 18, 2015 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/2015/03.

January 2015 Second Warmest on Record

For the Record:

Arctic sea ice extent for January 6.3 percent below 1981–2010 average

The globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces last month was 0.77°C (1.39°F) above the 20^th century average, the second highest for January since record keeping began in 1880, said the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).

[The warmest January on record was in 2007, at 1.55°F (0.86°C) above average.]

Other Global Highlights:

• The globally-averaged land surface temperature was 2.57°F (1.43°C) above the 20^th century average, making it also the second highest on record for January. The warmest January was in 2007, at 3.31°F (1.84°C) above average, while sea surface temperature (SST) was 0.95°F (0.53°C) above average— the third highest for January.

• The average Arctic sea ice extent for January was just over 906,000km² (350,000 square miles) or 6.3 percent below the 1981–2010 average, making it the third smallest January extent since records began in 1979.

• Antarctic sea ice during January was 2,300,000km² (890,000 square miles), or 44.6 percent above the 1981–2010 average, making it the largest January extent on record, surpassing the previous record set in 2008 by 570,000km² (220,000 square miles) or 33 percent.

Selected Significant Climate Anomalies and Events – January 2015

NOAA National Climatic Data Center, State of the Climate: Global Analysis for January 2015, published online February 2015, retrieved on February 21, 2015 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/2015/1.