-------- Original Message --------
> Subject:     NOAA: Global Surface Temperature Was Second Warmest for 
> September
> Date:     Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:41:17 -0400
> From:     NOAA Communications <[log in to unmask]>
> Organization:     NOAA Office of Communications
>
> Contact: John Leslie *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
>
> 301-713-2087, ext. 174 October 15, 2009
>
> *NOAA: Global Surface Temperature Was Second Warmest for September *
>
> * *
>
> The combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the second 
> warmest September on record, according to NOAA’s National Climatic 
> Data Center in Asheville, N.C. Based on records going back to 1880, 
> the monthly National Climatic Data Center analysis is part of the 
> suite of climate services NOAA provides.
>
> NCDC scientists also reported that the average land surface 
> temperature for September was the second warmest on record, behind 
> 2005. Additionally, the global ocean surface temperature was tied for 
> the fifth warmest on record for September.
>
> *Global Temperature Highlights*
>
>    * The combined global land and ocean surface temperature was 1.12
>      degrees F above the 20th century average of 59.0 degrees F.
>      Separately the global land surface temperature was 1.75 degrees F
>      above the 20th century average of 53.6 degrees F.
>    * Warmer-than-average temperatures engulfed most of the world’s land
>      areas during the month. The greatest warmth occurred across Canada
>      and the northern and western contiguous United States.
>      Warmer-than-normal conditions also prevailed across Europe, most
>      of Asia and Australia.
>    * The worldwide ocean temperature tied with 2004 as the fifth
>      warmest September on record, 0.90 degree F above the 20th century
>      average of 61.1 degrees F. The near-Antarctic southern ocean and
>      the Gulf of Alaska featured notable cooler-than-average 
> temperatures.
>
> * *
>
> *Other Highlights*
>
>    * Arctic sea ice covered an average 2.1 million square miles in
>      September - the third lowest for any September since records began
>      in 1979. The coverage was 23.8 percent below the 1979-2000
>      average, and the 13^th consecutive September with below-average
>      Arctic sea ice extent.
>    * Antarctic sea ice extent in September was 2.2 percent above the
>      1979-2000 average. This was the third largest September extent on
>      record, behind 2006 and 2007.
>    * Typhoon Ketsana became 2009’s second-deadliest tropical cyclone so
>      far, claiming nearly 500 lives across the Philippines, Cambodia,
>      Laos and Vietnam. The storm struck the Philippines on September
>      26, leaving 80 percent of Manila submerged.
>
> Scientists, researchers, and leaders in government and industry use 
> NCDC’s monthly reports to help track trends and other changes in the 
> world's climate. The data have a wide range of practical uses, from 
> helping farmers know what and when to plant, to guiding resource 
> managers with critical decisions about water, energy and other vital 
> assets.
>
> NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from 
> the depths of the oceans to surface of the sun, and conserves and 
> manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.noaa.gov 
> <http://www.noaa.gov/>
>
> On the Web:
>
> NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov
>
> - 30 -**
>

-- 
Andy Nash
Meteorologist-in-Charge
NOAA/National Weather Service Burlington VT
http://weather.gov/burlington
802-862-8711 x222