 Introduction
larger
image
|
August temperature
anomalies calculated from the Global Historical Climatology Network
data set of land surface stations (using a 1961-1990 base period)
show above average temperatures throughout Europe, eastern Brazil,
the United States and India. Monthly temperatures were 3-5°C
(5.4-9.0°F) above the mean. Cooler than average temperatures
were present throughout Argentina, the Korean Peninsula and Japan
where monthly temperatures were as much as 1-4°C
(1.8-7.2°F) below average. For all Global map products see the
Climate Monitoring
Products page. |
Temperature
August
- For August 2003, the global average land and
ocean surface temperature was 0.57°C (1.03°F) above the
1880-2002 average, ranking as the second warmest August in the
period of record
- The warmest August occurred in 1998, when the
global anomaly was +0.65°C (+1.17°F)
- Globally averaged land temperatures were third
warmest on record, 0.79°C (1.42°F) above the long-term
mean
|
larger
image
|
- August 2003 temperatures averaged across the
Northern Hemisphere were warmest on record, 0.79°C (1.42°F)
above the long term mean
- Temperatures averaged throughout the Southern
Hemisphere were eighth warmest, 0.31°C (0.56°F) above
average
|
larger
image
|
June-August
- For June-August 2003, the global average land and
ocean surface temperature was 0.55°C (1.00°F) above the
long term mean, second warmest for boreal summer.
- Ocean surface temperatures were 0.43°C
(0.77°F) above the 1880-2002 mean, second warmest for
June-August 2003.
- June-August 2003 temperatures averaged across the
Northern Hemisphere were second warmest on record, 0.67°C
(1.21°F) above the long term mean
- Temperatures averaged throughout the Southern
Hemisphere were third warmest, 0.41°C (0.74°F) above
average
|
larger
image
|
larger
image
|
- Serial monthly global surface temperature
departures with respect to a 1971-2000 mean are shown in the figure
to the left
- Globally averaged surface temperatures (land and
ocean) have been warmer than the 1971-2000 average for the last 88
consecutive months
|
Precipitation
- During June-August 2003, much above average
precipitation fell across northwestern South America, Alaska and
the Ukraine
- Below average precipitation was observed in South
Africa, parts of southeast Asia and the north central United
States
- During the month of August
2003 , unusually wet weather occurred in far western Russia,
the majority of the eastern United States and the southern coast of
Australia while areas of India, Thailand and the United Kingdom
experienced drier than average conditions.
- Additional regional analysis can be found on the
Global Hazards page
|
larger
image
|
ENSO SST Analysis
Microwave Sounding Unit Data
larger
image
|
- Temperatures in the lowest 8km (5 miles) of the
troposphere were 0.05°C (0.10°F) above the 1979-1998
average during June-August 2003
- Temperatures in the Northern
Hemisphere were 0.20°C (0.36°F) above the mean for
June-August 2003
- Temperatures in the Southern
Hemisphere were 0.10°C (0.17°F) below the mean for
June-August 2003
- Meanwhile, temperatures for August
2003 in the lower troposphere were 0.10°C (0.17°F)
above average
|
larger
image
|
- June-August 2003 temperatures were below the
1984-1990 average in the lower stratosphere, 0.40°C
(0.71°F) cooler than the mean
- Stratospheric temperatures in August
2003 were also below average globally, with a departure of
-0.40°C (-0.71°F)
|
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.
|
