This year’s meteorological summer was the warmest on record across the globe, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The average global temperature from June 1 to Aug. 31, the period known as meteorological summer, was 1.53 degrees above the 20th century average. That topped the previous high of 1.33 degrees above the same average, which was set last year.
The hottest part of the globe was South America, according to NOAA’s State of the Climate report. Argentina had its warmest winter on record, with some places in the country recording daily highs at 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
“Much of the world’s land surface was much-warmer-than-average,” the report stated, “with much of South America and parts of the western contiguous U.S. and parts of Africa and Asia experiencing record warm.”
The report said the Arctic sea ice in August was 22.3 percent below the 1981-2010 average, which is the fourth-smallest August sea ice measurement since 1979. The Antarctic sea ice was also below average in August, for the first time since November 2011, by 0.5 percent. That’s the ninth-lowest measurement on record.
The planet is on track to experience its warmest year on record, according to the report. The year-to-date average global temperature is 1.51 degrees above the 20th century average, which is 0.18 degrees above temperatures seen in 2010.
