2010: Hottest year on record so far

NOAA reports today that 2010 is the hottest year on record globally so far from January through April. April is also the hottest on record globally.

2010 global temperature anomalies so far. Note the relative warmth over Canada and the Upper Midwest with temperatures 3 to 5 degrees Celsius above average so far this year.

(click for bigger image)

Global temperature anomalies for April 2010.

Here are the highlights from the NOAA report:

•The combined April global land and ocean average surface temperature was the warmest on record at 58.1°F (14.5°C), which is 1.37°F (0.76°C) above the 20th century average of 56.7°F (13.7°C).

•The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature was the warmest on record for January-April at 56.0°F (13.3°C), which is 1.24°F (0.69°C) above the 20th century average.

•El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) weakened in April, as sea-surface temperature anomalies decreased across the equatorial Pacific Ocean. The weakening contributed significantly to the warmth observed in the tropical belt and the warmth of the overall ocean temperature for April. According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, El Niño is expected to continue through June.

•Arctic sea ice was below normal for the 11th consecutive April, covering an average of 5.7 million square miles (14.7 million square kilometers). This is 2.1 percent below the 1979-2000 average extent and the 15th smallest April extent since records began in 1979. It was, however, the largest April Arctic sea ice extent since 2001.

•Based on NOAA satellite observations, snow cover extent was the fourth-lowest on record (since 1967), and below the 1967-2010 average for the Northern Hemisphere for the seventh consecutive April. Warmer-than-normal conditions over North America, Europe and parts of Russia contributed to the small snow footprint.

•The North American snow cover extent for the month was the smallest on record for April. It also was the largest negative anomaly, meaning difference below the long-term average, on record for any month.

With 2010 now 1/3 complete, the globe in on pace for the hottest year on record.

Take a look at these remarkable facts from NOAA about the duration of warmer than average temperatures globally.

•April 2010 was the 302nd consecutive month with average global surface (land + ocean) temperature above the 20th century average.

◦The last April with below average temperatures occurred in 1976.

◦The last month with an average global surface (land + ocean) temperature below the 20th century average was February 1985.

Think about those facts for a minute. The odds of having 302 months in a row with above averge global temperatures is astounding. Not once in 25 years has the earth seen a single month cooler than the 20th century average.

Last October I posted that there were several indications that 2010 could be the hottest year on record globally. So far those indications are right on track.

PH