Subject: 	NOAA: Fourth Warmest May for Globe
Date: 	Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:55:49 -0400
From: 	NOAA News Releases <[log in to unmask]>
Organization: 	NOAA Office of Communications
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Contact: John Leslie *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

301-713-2014 ext. 174 June 17, 2009

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*NOAA: Fourth Warmest May for Globe *

The combined average global land and ocean surface temperatures for May 
2009 ranked fourth warmest since worldwide records began in 1880, 
according to an analysis by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in 
Asheville, N.C.

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The analyses in NCDC’s global reports are based on preliminary data, 
which are subject to revision. Additional quality control is applied to 
the data when late reports are received several weeks after the end of 
the month and as increased scientific methods improve NCDC’s processing 
algorithms.**

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*Temperature Highlights*

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    * The May 2009 combined global land and ocean surface temperature
      was 0.95 degrees F (0.53 degrees C) above the 20^th century
      average of 58.6 degrees F (14.8 degrees C).

    * Separately, the global land surface temperature was 1.19 degrees F
      (0.66 degrees C) above the 20th century average of 52.0 degrees F
      (11.1 degrees C), the eighth warmest for May on record.

    * The global ocean surface temperature was 0.86 degrees F (0.48
      degrees C) above the 20th century average of 61.3 degrees F (16.3
      degrees C), the third warmest for May on record.

    * For the year to date, the global combined land and ocean surface
      temperature of 56.5 degrees F (13.6 degrees C) tied with 2003 for
      the sixth warmest January-May period on record. This value is 0.97
      degrees F (0.54 degrees C) above the 20^th century average.

*Other Global Highlights*

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    * Sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean during
      May continued to increase for the fifth month in a row, supporting
      the presence of ENSO neutral state.

    * Arctic sea ice covered an average of 5.17 million square miles
      during May. This is 1.6 percent less than the 1979-2000 average
      extent. By contrast, Antarctic sea ice extent in May was 6.6
      percent above the 1979-2000 average. Since 1979, May Arctic sea
      ice extent has decreased by 2.5 percent per decade, while May
      Antarctic sea ice extent has increased by 2.1 percent per decade
      during the same period.

    * Based on NOAA satellite observations, Northern Hemisphere snow
      cover last month was the seventh lowest for May in the 1967-2009
      period of record. The Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent was
      0.73 million square miles below the 1967-2009 average of 7.8
      million square miles.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from 
the depths of the ocean to the 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 
<http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/>

NCDC May 2009 analysis: 
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2009/may/may09.html

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