Last month tied as 3rd warmest October on record for the globe

La Niña makes her debut. In October, La Niña’s presence started to be felt, as global temperatures cooled from the record warm conditions experienced earlier in the year.

October 2016 was 1.31 degrees F above the 20th-century average of 57.1 degrees F, tying with 2003 as the third warmest for the month and 0.47 degrees F cooler than last year, according to scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.

For the year to date, the average global temperature was 1.75 degrees F above average, surpassing the heat record set in 2015 by 0.18 degrees.  With only two months left in the year, the globe remains on track to be one of the warmest years, if not the warmest, in the 122-year record. 

More notable findings around the world include:

• The globally averaged sea surface temperature was the second warmest on record for October and warmest on record for the year to date (January–October).
• The globally averaged land surface temperature was 16^th warmest on record for October and the warmest on record for the year to date (January–October).
• Africa had its second warmest October.
• The average Arctic sea ice extent for October was 28.5 percent below the 1981–2010 average. This was the smallest October extent since records began in 1979.

• The average Antarctic sea ice extent for October was 4.0 percent below the 1981–2010 average, the second smallest on record for the month.

More: Access NOAA’s report and download images by visiting the NCEI website.