How did October 2018 rank in terms of global temperature?
NASA GISS just released their global land/ocean combined surface temperature data for October 2018. According to their data, last month ranked as the second warmest October on record, averaging 0.99 degrees C. above the 1951-1980 mean. The warmest October on record occurred in 2015 with an average temperature departure of +1.08 degrees C.
<img src="https://vortex.accuweather.com/adc2004/pub/includes/columns/climatewx/2018/590x380_11201737_octgiss.png"/>
Siberia was abnormally warm during October 2018 with an average temperature departure of +6.8 degrees C. for the month.
The NASA chart below shows the global temperature anomalies by month going back to 1880. The clear warming trend is indisputable.
<img src="https://vortex.accuweather.com/adc2004/pub/includes/columns/climatewx/2018/590x568_11201739_screen-shot-2018-11-20-at-12.38.51-pm.png"/>
At the current pace, 2018 is very likely to end up as the fourth warmest year on record in the NASA GISS database, which goes back to 1880. Through the first 10 months of 2018, the global land/ocean surface temperature is averaging 0.82 degrees C. above normal. Below are the current top four warmest years on record........
2016: +1.00 deg. C
2017: +0.90 deg. C.
2015: +0.87 deg. C.
2014: +0.74 deg. C.
