The first five months of 2019 have been among Earth’s top three warmest in 140 years of temperature records, according to a just-released analysis.
NOAA said Tuesday that global average temperatures across all land and ocean surfaces were third warmest for any January-through-May period, ranking only behind 2016 and 2017, in records dating to 1880.
- The first five months of 2019 place Earth on track for its third warmest year dating to 1880.
- Four separate analyses found 2019 had among the top five warmest Mays.
- Among areas most above average in May were Arctic Canada, Greenland, Russia, Brazil, and parts of Africa.
- This was despite a notably chilly May in the western and central U.S. and in parts of Europe.
Parts of central and southern Africa, southeast Asia, southern Brazil, the western Pacific Ocean, the Barents Sea, northwest Canada and northeast Alaska were among the areas that experienced a record warm first five months of 2019, according to NOAA.
Australia shattered its record warm January-May period in 2019, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology noted.
This was despite notable cold over a swath of Canada and the central United States. It was the seventh coldest January-May on record in South Dakota.
Robert Rohde, lead scientist at Berkeley Earth, said 2019 has a 75% chance of being second warmest year on record, based on projections.
May 2019 Among the Top 5 Warmest Mays
NOAA’s report also found May 2019 was the fourth warmest May in their 140-year database, behind only May 2016, 2015 and 2017.
NASA (tie for third warmest), Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (third warmest) and the Japanese Meteorological Agency (fifth warmest) also found May 2019 among the warmest Mays on record.
The Weather Channel, excerpt posted on SouthFloridaReporter.com, June 19, 2019
