Climate of 2002
September in Historical Perspective

National Climatic Data Center
11 October 2002

Global Highlights:

• Global average combined land and sea surface temperature was the fourth warmest for September 2002
• September temperatures were above normal throughout most of the United States and much of central Asia, with cooler than average temperatures over southwest Europe and parts of Siberia
• September was wetter than average across southern Europe, parts of Southeast Asia and the U.S. Gulf Coast region

Contents of this Section:

• Introduction
• Global Temperatures
  • September
  • January-September
• Global Precipitation
• Microwave Sounding Unit Data

Introduction

The September 2002 mean temperature was 1-3°C (1.8-5.4°F) above the 1988-2002 average across much of the United States and from central Europe through central Asia as shown in the adjacent map of blended satellite and in-situ data. Cooler than average temperatures occurred across southern Brazil, southern Europe and parts of China. 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. A belt of warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures persisted throughout the tropical Pacific during September, the signature of El Niño conditions.

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September 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 of 2-4°C (3.6-7.2°F) from the Iberian Peninsula, eastward across the Mediterranean region as well as parts of Siberia. Notable warm anomalies of +2 to +4°C (+3.6 to +7.2°F) were present across the eastern two-thirds of the United States, parts of Australia and large portions of central Asia.

Temperature

September For September 2002, the global average land and ocean surface temperature was 0.47°C (0.85°F) above the 1880-2001 average, ranking as the fourth warmest September in the period of record The warmest September occurred 4 years ago (1998) The September land surface temperature average was second warmest on record, 0.62°C (1.12°F) above average

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January-September The global land and ocean surface temperature average (January-September 2002) was the second warmest such 9-month period in the 1880-2002 record, 0.58°C (1.04°F) above the long-term mean and 0.08°C (0.14°F) cooler than during the El Niño year of 1998 January-September 2002 average temperature across land areas also ranked as second warmest on record, or 0.98°C (1.76°F) above the 1880-2001 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 77 consecutive months

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Precipitation

During September 2002, much above average precipitation fell across the Mediterranean region, the U.S. Gulf Coast and parts of Southeast Asia where western Pacific typhoons brought locally excessive rainfall Below average precipitation was observed across much of the western two-thirds of the U.S., much of Australia, India and from Mongolia into northeastern China 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 0.25°C (0.45°F) above average during September 2002, the third warmest September since satellite records began in 1979 September 2002 temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere were 0.38°C (0.68°F) above average, the warmest September in the satellite period of record (1979 to present)

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September 2002 temperatures were below average in the lower stratosphere, with a departure of -0.35°C (-0.63°F) Stratospheric temperatures were the coldest on record for September in the Northern Hemisphere, or 1.05°C (1.89°F) below average.

  For additional details on precipitation and temperatures in September, 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
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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

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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