"Temps have been dropping ... globally."
That tends to happen after a record, or, most recently, after 3 records in a row. They'll start climbing again with the next El Nino. In the meantime, we're coming off of our third warmest April.
April 2018 Blended Land and Sea Surface
Temperature Anomalies in degrees Celsius
April 2018 Blended Land and Sea Surface
Temperature Percentiles
Much of the globe had warmer-than-average conditions during April 2018. The most notable warm temperature departures from average were observed across southern South America, central Europe, eastern Russia, and Australia where temperatures were +3.0°C (5.4°F) or higher. Record warmth was present across southern South America, central Europe, and scattered across all oceans and parts of Australia. The most notable cooler-than-average temperatures during April 2018 were present across much of Canada and the contiguous U.S., where temperatures were -3.0°C (-5.4°F) or cooler. Record cold temperatures were limited to parts of the Midwestern contiguous U.S. According to NCEI's Regional Analysis, four of six continents had an April temperature that ranked among the five warmest Aprils on record, with South America and Europe having their warmest April on record.
Averaged as a whole, the temperature across global land and ocean surfaces for April 2018 was 0.83°C (1.49°F) above the 20th century average of 13.7°C (56.7°F) and the third highest April temperature since records began in 1880. Only April 2016 (+1.08°C / +1.94°F) and 2017 (+0.89°C / +1.60°F) were warmer. Nine of the 10 warmest Aprils have occurred since 2005. April 2018 also marks the 42nd consecutive April and the 400th consecutive month with temperatures, at least nominally, above the 20th century average. The April global land and ocean surface temperature has increased 0.07°C (0.13°F) per decade since 1880; however, the rate is more than double since 1980.
The global land surface temperature was the ninth warmest April in the 139-year record at 1.31°C (2.36°F) above the 20th century average of 8.1°C (46.5°F). The global ocean surface temperature was 0.65°C (1.17°F) above the 20th century average of 16.0°C (60.9°F) and the fourth highest temperature on record, trailing behind 2016 (+0.79°C / +1.42°F), 2017 (+0.72°C / +1.30°F), and 2015 (+0.66°C / +1.19°F).
ncdc.noaa.gov |
