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2004 Surface & Tropospheric Temperatures
2004 Monthly Global Surface
Temperature Tracker | 2004 Monthly Global Troposphere
Temperature Tracker
(Measured by Satellite for the layer
2-6 miles above the Earth's surface) |
August 2004: 0.80°F above the 1880-2002 long-term mean. 6th warmest August on record.
July 2004: 0.72°F above the 1880-2002 long-term mean. 6th warmest July on record.
June 2004: 0.85°F above the 1880-2002 long-term mean. 6th warmest June on record.
May 2004: 0.68°F above the 1880-2002 long-term mean. 5th warmest May on record.
April 2004: 0.94°F above the 1880-2002 long-term mean. 3rd warmest April on record.
March 2004: 1.26°F above the 1880-2002 long-term mean. 2nd warmest March on record.
February 2004: 1.12°F above the 1880-2002 long-term mean. 4th warmest February on record.
January 2004: 0.97°F above the 1880-2002 long-term mean. 4th warmest January on record.
 Source: National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) | August 2004: 0.11°F below the 1979-1998 mean. 11th coolest August on record.
July 2004: 0.31°F below the 1979-1998 mean. 6th coolest July on record.
June 2004: 0.04°F below the 1979-1998 mean. 13th warmest June on record.
May 2004: 0.13°F above the 1979-1998 mean. 10th warmest May on record.
April 2004: 0.20°F above the 1979-1998 mean. 6th warmest April on record.
March 2004: 0.52°F above the 1979-1998 mean. 3rd warmest March on record.
February 2004: 0.31°F above the 1979-1998 mean. 6th warmest February on record.
January 2004: 0.29°F above the 1979-1998 mean. 6th warmest January on record.
 Source: National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) |
2003 Year In Review
2003 Ties With 2002 as Second Warmest Year on Record
2003 and 2002 are tied as the second warmest years on record, according to a year-end review of climate data by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Global temperatures in both years were 1.01° Fahrenheit (O.56°C) above the 1880-2003 average. Temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere averaged near record levels in 2002 at 1.15°F (0.64°C) above the long-term average. The warmer temperatures and changes in circulation patterns contributed to a second straight year of extremely low Arctic sea ice extent in September, although there was more ice than in 2002.
During the past century, temperatures have risen at a rate of nearly 1°F (0.6°C) per century, but the trend has been three times higher than that since 1976. Data collected by satellites indicate that temperatures centered in the middle troposphere at altitudes from two to six miles ranked 2003 as the fourth warmest year for the globe. The average temperature in the lower troposphere (surface to about five miles) was the third warmest since satellite measurements began in 1979.
Global precipitation was below the 1961-1990 average in 2003 for the third year in a row. The western United States experienced another year of drought, and Zimbabwe had its worst drought in 50 years. In contrast, western Asia experienced higher than normal precipitation. The monsoon rainfall in India was 102 percent above normal, bringing relief to areas that were plagued with drought in 2002.
NOAA's entire climate report for 2003 can be accessed at http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2003/ann/ann03.html 
[Chart courtesy of: the National Climatic Data Center.]
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