The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has global climate records dating back 174 years. As the planet continues to heat up, both September and October set new records as the warmest of those months in history.
September was the fourth month in a row of record-warm global temperatures. Not only was it the warmest September on record, but it was also the most atypically warm month of any month of the entire 174 years of record keeping. In fact, September 2023 was warmer than the average July from 2001-2010.
For the sixth consecutive month, September also set a monthly record for global ocean surface temperature.
Not to be outdone, the planet added a fifth straight month of record-warm temperatures in October. The average global temperature for October was 1.34 degrees Celsius above the 20th century average. This was .24 degrees higher than the previous October record set in 2015. And, for the seventh straight month, global ocean surface temperatures were also at a record high.
October was the 47th consecutive October and the 536th consecutive month with global temperatures above the 20th century average. In fact, the past 10 Octobers have been the 10 warmest Octobers in the global climate record.
With only a short time remaining in the year, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information, there is a greater than 99% chance that 2023 will rank as the warmest year on record for the world. It is no cause for celebration.
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The planet just had its warmest October on record
Topping the charts: September 2023 was Earth’s warmest September in 174-year record
Photo, posted October 18, 2016, courtesy of Dave Roberts via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio
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