|
 NOAA UPDATES
OCTOBER CLIMATE STATISTICS
Canadian data received by the
National Climatic Data Center
over the weekend altered the global mean for land temperature.
Before this data was received, October 1998 temperature anomalies
were slightly below the 1997 record anomalies.
Last Friday, NOAA reported that
the temperature for October 1998 had fallen slightly below the
record set in October 1997, which was 58.15 degrees F for the
global mean (land and ocean). (Below see NOAA news release issued
November 13.) However, after the Canadian data were averaged
into the global value, the 1998 global (land and ocean) mean
exceeded the 1997 value by 0.03 degrees F.
NOAA expects to receive additional
data from east Africa. Based on satellite-derived information,
that area appears to have been typical of or slightly cooler
than the past seven years.
NOAA reports that October 1998
falls slightly below the global record set in October 1997 for
the warmest global surface (land and ocean) temperature on record.
Global Data
for October
At 58.14 degrees Fahrenheit, the mean global surface temperature
for October 1998 was 1.04 degrees F above the 1880-1997 mean
global surface temperature of 57.1 degrees F. October 1997 was
the warmest October on record at 58.15 degrees F. For October
1998, the global land surface temperature was 1.74 degrees F
above the long- term mean, while the global sea surface temperature
for the same time was 0.74 degrees F above the long-term mean,
down from the 1997 value of 0.986 degrees F above the long-term
mean.
Global Data
for the Year to Date
The period January through October 1998 was the warmest such
period on record at 58.64 degrees. This is 1.24 degrees F above
the 1880-1997 mean of 57.4 degrees F and exceeds the previous
record for this period set in 1997 by 0.36 degrees F.
U.S. Data
for October
In the United States, October 1998 was the 32nd warmest and the
9th wettest such month since 1895. Regionally, October 1998 was
the 19th warmest such month on record for the South region. The
South region includes Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Oklahoma and Texas.
For both the West and Northwest
regions, October 1998 was the 30th coolest such month on record.
It was the third consecutive such month of below normal temperatures
for the West region and the fifth consecutive such month of below
normal temperatures for the Northwest region. The West region
includes California and Nevada while the Northwest region includes
Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
Based upon preliminary data for
the Southeast region, October 1998 was the 11th driest such month
since 1895. Precipitation for the previous six Octobers (1992-1997)
has been above- to much-above the long-term mean. The Southeast
region includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Virginia.
U.S. Data
for the Year to Date
Preliminary data indicate that the period January-October 1998
was the wettest such period on record and was the second warmest
such period for the contiguous United States, with a national
averaged temperature of 57.4 degrees F. The warmest January-
October was 57.7 degrees F, which occurred in 1934. The 1961-1990
normal January- October temperature for the United States is
55.3 degrees F.
The national averaged precipitation
value was 28.39 inches. The 1961-1990 normal for the same period
is 24.84 inches. The second wettest January-October took place
in 1973 with 28.13 inches of precipitation.
More information is available
at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/climate/research/1998/oct/oct98.html
and at:
http://nic.fb4.noaa.gov (click on Climate Monitoring; click
on U.S.A.; click on United States; click on Monthly.) |
