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Global climate change
Brett Anderson discusses and analyzes the latest research and commentary by experts with various points of view.
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Weather Blogs / Global climate change
Where did the October 2021 global average temperature rank?
By Brett Anderson, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Nov 15, 2021 1:08 PM EDT | Updated Nov 15, 2021 1:08 PM EDT
Once again, our planet had another month that ranked in the top 5 warmest on record for that particular month.
NOAA database
October 2021 ranked as the fourth warmest October on record globally, with an average temperature that was 1.60 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century mean. Records go back to 1880.
Image courtesy NOAA.
The previous eight Octobers all ranked in the top eight warmest Octobers on record over the last 142 years.
2021 is easily on track to finish in the top ten warmest on record and a good chance that it will rank in the top six.
For the Northern Hemisphere land areas, October 2021 was the warmest on record.
North America recorded its second warmest October on record.
NASA database
October 2021 was also the fourth warmest October on record for land/ocean combined in this database, averaging 1.78 degrees Fahrenheit above the 1951-1980 mean.
Image courtesy NASA GISS.
Image courtesy NASA GISS.
The previous seven Octobers all ranked in the top seven warmest on record globally.
Sea Ice
For the month of October, Arctic sea ice extent ranked as the eighth lowest on record. The satellite record goes back to 1979.
The long-term October trend (below) is showing a clear decrease in extent.
The sea ice extent in the Antarctic ranked as the fourth lowest on record.
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