Last month’s average temperature was 16.44C. That’s 0.64C above the 20th century average
July 2014 Blended Land and Sea Surface
Temperature Anomalies in degrees Celsius (Pic: NOAA)
By Liz Gallagher
Monthly temperatures in 2014 continue to sizzle, with July coming in as the fourth hottest on record.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says last month’s average temperature was 16.44C. That’s 0.64C above the 20th century average.
May and June this year set heat records, with some scientists predicting the warmest year on record.
There is a developing El Nino event, which is associated with high temperatures, droughts and flooding.
Deon Terblanche, research director at the World Meteorological Organization, told RTCC this El Nino looked like a “moderate” event compared to previous years.
That doesn’t mean it won’t have a strong impact, he added. “Every El Nino is a unique event, with slightly different characteristics”
Combined land and ocean average surface temperatures from January to July 2014 have now tied with 2002 as the third warmest period since records began.
NOAA’s monthly report said ocean temperatures were “much warmer than average” in every ocean basin.
This was “notable across parts of the Arctic Seas between Greenland and northern Europe, the southern Indian Ocean, and the western equatorial Pacific Ocean.”
Norwegians experienced their warmest July since 1990, while in the UK it tied with 1933 as the eighth warmest in the books. Three US states witnessed their coolest July in 120 years.
July 2014 global ocean temp tied 2009 as warmest for July per @NOAANCDC #StateOfClimate http://t.co/NSFNtVtxZC pic.twitter.com/YM7YXjkTmG
— NOAA (@NOAA) August 18, 2014