Nature & Environment

NOAA Report Reveals Global Temperatures in June Broke Previous Record

Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Jul 22, 2014 12:44 PM EDT

It's been a hot summer this year. NOAA scientists have announced that the globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces for June 2014 was the highest for June since record keeping began in 1880.

The researchers announced that most of the world experienced warmer-than-average monthly temperatures this June. In addition, there was record warmth across portions of southeastern Greenland, parts of northern South America, areas in eastern and central Africa, and sections of southern and southeastern Asia.

In all, the combined average temperature was 61.2 degrees Fahrenheit. That's 1.3 degrees above the 20th century average of 59.9. In addition, it surpasses the previous record set in 2010 by .05 degrees.

That's not all, either. The rising temperatures seem to be a trend; nine of the ten warmest Junes on record have all occurred during the 21st century, including each of the past five years.

That said, there were some regions which experienced cooler temperatures. A few areas in North America, Far East Russia and small parts of central and northeastern Europe were cooler or much cooler than average.

Overall, though, the report shows a trend in rising temperatures. For example, Kangerlussuaq in southwestern Greenland saw its record highest maximum June temperature of 73.8 degrees on June 15. That surpasses the previous record of 73.6 degrees set in both 1988 and 2002. So far, 2014 has tied with 2002 as the third warmest year on record with a combined global land and ocean average surface temperature 1.21 degrees above the 20th century average. That said, the year isn't over yet. It's possible that temperatures could rise even further.

The findings can be found online in the Global Climate Report for June.

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