Thread: Globe swelters through 5th-warmest summer on record

Globe swelters through 5th-warmest summer on record

Doyle Rice, USA TODAY 5:43 p.m. EDT September 17, 2013

August was the 342nd consecutive month (which is more than 28 years) with an above-average global temperature.



Areas in pink and red had a warmer-than-average summer, while areas in blue saw a cooler-than-average summer.(Photo: NOAA)

Story Highlights

• South Korea had its warmest summer on record.
• Alaska had its 2nd-warmest summer on record.
• For the year, the globe is the 6th-warmest.

The world had its 5th-warmest summer since records began in 1880, the National Climatic Data Center reported Tuesday.

Specifically, the temperature over global land and ocean surfaces tied with 2009 as the 5th-highest on record at 61.22 degrees, which is 1.12 degree above the 20th-century average of 60.1 degrees.

Unusual heat was experienced worldwide:
• South Korea had its warmest summer since records began in 1973.
• Austria had its sixth warmest June–August since records began in 1767.
• In the U.S., Alaska had its 2nd-warmest summer since records began in 1918.
• The average maximum temperature across Australia during June–August was 2.56 degrees F above average, the 2nd-highest since records began in 1910.

Climatologists call "summer" the three hottest months, which are June, July and August in the Northern Hemisphere. (Those three months are the winter months in the Southern Hemisphere.) The climate center is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

One of the world's few cooler-than-average spots included the central and southeastern U.S.

RELATED: U.S. enjoys coolest summer since 2009

The warmth also caused Arctic sea ice to shrink to its 6th-lowest level on record, the National Snow and Ice Data Center reported.

August was especially warm, and was the 4th-warmest August on record. Most areas of the world experienced warmer-than-average August temperatures, including New Zealand, Australia, northern South America, western North America, Europe, much of eastern Asia and most of the global ocean regions.

August was also the 342nd consecutive month (more than 28 years) with a global temperature above the 20th-century average. The most recent month that was cooler-than-average for the entire Earth was February 1985, the climate center reports.

For the year-to-date, the globe is seeing its 6th-warmest year on record.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2013/09/17/global-summer-climate-report/2828215/

Hottest summer for seven years

Britain has enjoyed the hottest and sunniest summer for seven years, Met office figures show today.


This year was the tenth warmest summer since records began Photo: GETTY

By Olivia Goldhill
9:21AM BST 30 Aug 2013

This year was the tenth warmest summer since records began in 1910, and the single hottest since 2006.

Temperatures averaged 15.2°C for June, July and August, which is 0.8C above the average just half a degree lower than in 2006, the hottest summer on record, according to Met figures.

There was 17 per cent more sunshine and rainfall was just 78% of the UK average, making this summer the driest since 2006.

The summer was the seventh sunniest summer since records began in 1929.

Britain also enjoyed a 19-day heat wave in July with temperatures above 28C, which was the most significant heat wave since July 2006, though he hottest day was August 1, when 34.1C was recorded at Heathrow airport.

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Dan Williams of the Met Office said: "The UK has had one of its best summers for years, although it won't be a record breaker."

The warm weather is a welcome relief, following last year's wettest summer in a century, the coldest March since 1962 and snow across much of the UK in May.

The warm weather is set to continue. Met Office forecaster Lindsay Mears said: "The weekend will be very pleasant for most, and highs around 25C early next week are decent temperatures going into September.

"But Scotland will be cooler this weekend with gales, and possible heavy rain next week in the North."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/10275350/Hottest-summer-for-seven-years.html