Global Highlights:
- Based on preliminary data for October 2003, global average
combined land and sea surface temperature was warmest on
record
- Temperatures were much above average across the Middle East,
the western U.S. and Alaska with below average temperatures across
Europe, the northeastern U.S. and most of Australia
- Precipitation during October 2003 was above average in the U.S.
Pacific Northwest and Europe, with drier than average conditions
over the United Kingdom and the majority of the U.S.
- Slightly warmer than normal SST's remained across the
equatorial Pacific basin indicating the possiblity of a developing
weak El Niño event.
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Contents of this Section:
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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
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October temperature
anomalies calculated from the Global Historical Climatology Network
data set of land surface stations (using a 1961-1990 base period)
also show above average temperatures across the western U.S. and
Alaska, Algeria, Argentina and Turkey. Monthly temperatures were
3-5°C (5.4-9°F) above the mean in many of these areas.
Cooler than average temperatures were present throughout Europe,
central Mexico, eastern China and southern Australia where monthly
temperatures were as much as 2-4°C (3.6-7.2°F) below
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Temperature
October
- For October 2003, the global average land and
ocean surface temperature was 0.67°C (1.21°F) above the
1880-2002 average, ranking as the warmest October in the period of
record
- Globally averaged land
temperatures were warmest on record, 1.00°C (1.80°F) above
the long-term mean
- Globally averaged ocean surface
temperatures were 0.54°C (0.97°F) above the 1880-2002 mean,
also warmest on record for October 2003.
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- October 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 fourth warmest, 0.50°C (0.90°F) above
average
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January-October
- For January-October 2003, the global average
land
and ocean surface temperature was 0.56°C (1.01°F) above
the long term mean, third warmest
- Globally averaged land
temperatures were third warmest on record, 0.86°C (1.55°F)
above the long-term mean
- Globally averaged ocean
surface temperatures were 0.44°C (0.79°F) above the
1880-2002 mean, second warmest for January-October 2003.
- January-October 2003 temperatures averaged across
the Northern Hemisphere were third warmest on record, 0.64°C
(1.15°F) above the long term mean
- Temperatures averaged throughout the Southern
Hemisphere were third warmest, 0.47°C (0.85°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
left
- Globally averaged surface temperatures (land and ocean) have
been warmer than the 1971-2000 average for the last 90 consecutive
months
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Precipitation
- During October 2003, much above average
precipitation fell in Spain, southern and eastern portions of
India, northeastern U.S., Thailand and Singapore
- Below average precipitation was observed in
southeastern Asia, Ireland, the southern U.S., and Iceland
- Additional regional analysis can be found on the
Global Hazards page
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ENSO SST Analysis
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.