NOAA: May global temperature reaches record high, driven largely by record warm oceans

According to NOAA scientists, the globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces for May 2014 was the highest for May since record keeping began in 1880. It also marked the 39th consecutive May and 351st consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20th century average. The last below-average global temperature for May occurred in 1976 and the last below-average temperature for any month occurred in February 1985. The majority of the world experienced warmer-than-average monthly temperatures, with record warmth across eastern Kazakhstan, parts of Indonesia, and central and northwestern Australia. Scattered sections across every major ocean basin were also record warm. Part of the northeastern Atlantic, small sections of the northwestern and southeastern Pacific, and the ocean waters off the southern tip of South America were cooler or much cooler than average. According to NOAA scientists, the globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces for May 2014 was the highest for May since record keeping began in 1880. It also marked the 39th consecutive May and 351st consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20th century average. The last below-average global temperature for May occurred in 1976 and the last below-average temperature for any month occurred in February 1985. The majority of the world experienced warmer-than-average monthly temperatures, with record warmth across eastern Kazakhstan, parts of Indonesia, and central and northwestern Australia. Scattered sections across every major ocean basin were also record warm. Part of the northeastern Atlantic, small sections of the northwestern and southeastern Pacific, and the ocean waters off the southern tip of South America were cooler or much cooler than average. This monthly summary from NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C., is part of the suite of climate services NOAA provides to government, the business sector, academia, and the public to support informed decision-making. Global temperature highlights: May May 2014 land and ocean temperature departures from average. (Credit: NOAA) The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for May 2014 was the record highest for the month, at 59.93°F (15.54°C), or 1.33°F (0.74°C) above the 20th century average of 58.6°F (14.8°C), surpassing the previous record of +1.30°F (+0.72°C) set in 2010. The margin of error associated with this temperature is +/- 0.13°F (0.07°C). The May global land temperature was the fourth highest for May on record, at 2.03°F (1.13°C) above the 20th century average of 52.0°F (11.1°C), with a margin of error of +/- 0.23°F (0.13°C). The Southern Hemisphere land temperature was record warm for May. On the Web: Global Climate Report for May 2014: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/2014/5 US Climate Report for May 2014: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/2014/5 NOAA Climate Portal: http://www.climate.gov