NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
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The global mean temperature for March through May, 1999, was well above the long-term average, based on preliminary data. Yet, this 3-month global mean temperature was considerably cooler than the record warmth experienced in March through May of 1998, largely due to cooler sea surface temperatures this year. See the Global Analysis for more details. Based on the long-term mean (1880-1998), the March through May, 1999, land and ocean temperature was 0.8 C above average; 0.3 C less than the record global temperature recorded in 1998.
Based on preliminary data, precipitation on the global land surface was also above average during the period March through May. Based on the 1900 to 1998 long-term mean, global precipitation was over 7 mm above average. See the Global Analysis and Global Regional Analysis pages for more details on the global climate.
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larger image For the three-month period March through May, 1999, the mean temperature for the contiguous U.S. was nearly 0.6 F above the long-term average, based upon preliminary data. The bars in this graph are departures from the 1895-1998 mean. The curved line is a nine-point binomial filter which shows the decadal-scale variations.
Average total precipitation for the contiguous U.S. for the period March through May, 1999, was more than 0.5 inches below the long-term average, based on preliminary data. The bars in this graph are departures from the 1895-1998 mean. The curved line is a nine-point binomial filter which shows the decadal-scale variations. See the U.S. National Analysis and U.S. Regional / Statewide Analyses pages for more details on the U.S. climate.
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Extreme Events
Extreme climatic events during the period March through May included: floods and landslides in Europe in March; floods in the Phillipines, Columbia and Venezuela in April; snowstorms in the U.S.; persistent, severe, or developing drought in many areas of the globe.