October 2017 tied with 2003 as the fourth hottest October on record, NOAA records have revealed.
As a transition between summer and winter, October can bring in any kind of weather depending on where you are, and around the world this year, it brought hurricanes, heat waves and fires.
The globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces, from NOAA records which date back 138 years to 1880, also revealed that (so far) 2017 has been the third warmest year on record.
Oceania led all the continents in October warmth rankings – the continents had its sixth warmest October on record; South American its 10th, North American and Europe their 11th, Africa its 13th and Asia its 19th.
This October’s above-average global land and ocean temperature was mainly driven by warmer ocean temperatures, and October 2017 marks the 41st consecutive October and the 394th consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th century average
The year-to-date (through October) average global temperature was 1.55°F above the 20th-century average of 57.4°F, according to scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
According to the NOAA, nine of the 10 warmest January-October global land and ocean temperatures occurred since 2005.
THE ‘CLIMATE ANOMALIES’ OF OCTOBER 2017
As a transition between summer and winter, October can bring in any kind of weather depending on where you are, and around the world this year, it brought hurricanes, heat waves and fires.
Just some of the climate anomalies from last month included:
- 12 per cent of the contiguous US was in drought by the end of October
- North America has its 11th warmest october on record
- Arctic sea ice extent was 19.6 per cent below the 1981-2010 average – the fifth smallest October sea ice extent since satellite records began in 1979
- Australia experienced its 10th warmest October on record, and Queensland has its third wettest October since records began in 1900
This map shows notable climate events that occurred around the world in October 2017
And October temperatures across global land and ocean surfaces were 1.31 °F above the 20th century average of 57.1°F, tying with 2003 as the fourth highest value for October in the 138-year period of record, behind 2015 (highest), 2014 (second highest), and 2016 (third highest).
This October’s above-average global land and ocean temperature was mainly driven by warmer ocean temperatures, and October 2017 marks the 41st consecutive October and the 394th consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th century average.
The year-to-date (through October) average global temperature was 1.55°F above the 20th-century average of 57.4°F, according to scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. According to the NOAA, nine of the 10 warmest January-October global land and ocean temperatures occurred since 2005
Other significant climate events also took place around the world this month – for example, nearly 12 per cent of the contiguous US was in drought by the end of October, and drought intensified across the Southwest, southern Plains and Southeast.
Arctic and Antarctic sea ice extent suffered too.
The average Arctic sea ice coverage in October was 19.6 per cent below the 1981-2010 average, the fifth smallest October sea ice extent since satellite records began in 1979.
And Antarctic sea ice extent in October was 2.2 per cent below average as well as the fifth smallest on record.
Snow cover extent, however, seems to remain high in the Northern Hemisphere.
Arctic (left) and Antarctic (right) sea ice extent in October 2017. The average Arctic sea ice coverage in October was 19.6 per cent below the 1981-2010 average, the fifth smallest on record. And Antarctic sea ice extent in October was 2.2 per cent below average as well as the fifth smallest on record
According to NOAA data analyzed by the Rutgers Global Snow Lab, The Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent during October was 1.4 million square miles above the 1981-2010 average.
This was the ninth largest October Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent in the 50-year period of record.
In addition, the North American snow cover extent was the seventh largest on record, while the Eurasian snow cover extent was the 11th largest.
A view of a massive rift in the Antarctic Peninsula’s Larsen C ice shelf, Antarctica, 10 November 2016. It was reported that the rift in the Larsen C ice shelf broke away from Antarctica on Wednesday, July 12. The iceberg was twice the size of Luxembourg. It may mark the beginning of a series of events brought on by warming global temperatures