The data presented in this report are preliminary. Ranks and anomalies may change as more complete data are received and processed. The most current data may be accessed via the Global Surface Temperature Anomalies page.
 Introduction
| The June-August 2002 mean temperature was above the 1988-2002 average across much of the United States, nearly all of Europe, and from India northward through China and eastern Russia as shown in the adjacent map of blended satellite and in-situ data.
Cooler than average temperatures occurred across Argentina, central Russia and Japan. The mean position of upper level ridges and troughs of low pressure (depicted by positive and negative 500 millibar height anomalies), are generally reflected by areas of positive and negative temperature anomalies at the surface, respectively. Warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures developed throughout the tropical Pacific during June-August, the signature of El Niño conditions.
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August temperature anomalies calculated from the Global Historical Climatology Network data set of land surface stations using a 1961-1990 base period show
below average temperatures in southeast China, Japan and Korea and in the northwest U.S. Notable warm anomalies were present across central Europe and the eastern two-thirds of the United States.
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Temperature
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June-August
The global land and ocean surface temperature average (June-August 2002) was the third warmest such 3-month period in the 1880-2002 record, 0.47°C (0.85°F) above the long-term mean and 0.16°C (0.29°F) cooler than during the El Niño year of 1998
June-August 2002 average temperature across land areas ranks as third warmest on record, or 0.69°C (1.24°F) above the 1880-2001 average
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August
For August 2002, the global average land and ocean surface temperature was 0.41°C (0.74°F) above the 1880-2001 average, ranking as the fifth warmest August in the period of record
The warmest August occurred 4 years ago during the last record warm boreal summer
The August ocean surface temperature average was fourth warmest on record, 0.37°C (0.67°F) above average
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Serial monthly global surface temperature departures with respect to a 1971-2000 mean are shown in the figure to the right
The recent return to record or near record temperature departures is evident, and globally averaged surface temperatures (land and ocean) have been warmer than the 1971-2000 average for the last 76 consecutive months
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Precipitation
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During June-August 2002, much above average precipitation fell across central Europe, Korea, southeast China and the U.S. Gulf Coast
Below average precipitation was observed across the eastern and wester United States, the eastern Caribbean and much of India, where monsoon rainfall was unusually light
August precipitation was above average across central Europe, Korea and South Africa
Additional regional analysis can be found on the Global Hazards page
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Microwave Sounding Unit Data
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Temperatures in the lowest 8km (5 miles) of the troposphere were 0.17°C (0.31°F) above average during June-August 2002, the third warmest boreal summer since satellite records began in 1979
Temperatures were 0.15°C (0.27°F) above average for August
August 2002 temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere were 0.29°C (0.52°F) above average, or second warmest in the satellite period of record (1979 to present)
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June-August 2002 temperatures were below average in the lower stratosphere, with a departure of -0.27°C (-0.49°F)
It was the tenth consecutive August with below average temperatures in the lower stratosphere, or 0.26°C (0.47°F) below average
August temperatures in the lower stratosphere have been below average each year since 1993. The overall cooling trend is consistent with the response to losses in stratospheric ozone while the warm anomalies in 1992 are due to the warming influence of the Mount Pinatubo eruption which occurred in the Philippines in June 1991.
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Lower tropospheric and lower stratospheric temperature data are collected by NOAA's TIROS-N polar-orbiting satellites and adjusted for time-dependent biases by NASA and the Global Hydrology and Climate Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
For additional details on precipitation and temperatures in August, see the Global Hazards page .
References:
Peterson, T.C. and R.S. Vose, 1997: An Overview of the Global Historical Climatology Network Database. Bull. Amer. Meteorol. Soc., 78, 2837-2849.
For all climate questions other than questions concerning this report, please contact the National Climatic Data Center's Climate Services Division:
Climate Services Division
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue, Room 120
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4876
phone: 828-271-4800
email: ncdc.orders@noaa.gov
For questions about this report, please contact:
David Easterling
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4328
email: David.Easterling@noaa.gov
-or-
Jay Lawrimore
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4328
email: Jay.Lawrimore@noaa.gov
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