Monitoring the Global Climate - Monthly Temperature Anomalies, January 2010

 

The globe continues to exhibit well above normal temperatures despite the recent cool
weather in our part of the world.  

Globe:  January 2010 = 4th Warmest on record (based on 131 years of data, 1880-2010)
Oceans only:  January 2010 = 2nd warmest on record
(based on 131 years of data, 1880-2010)


A summary is located below the global map.

LINK to other months Year 2010     LINK to other months Year 2009

LINK to Animation of Global Anomaly Maps (2005-2010)



January 2010:  Global Highlights (
From the National Climatic Data Center)

 

  • The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for January 2010 was 0.60°C (1.08°F) above the 20th century average of 12.0°C (53.6°F). This is the fourth warmest January on record.
  • The global land surface temperature for January 2010 was 0.83°C (1.49°F) above the 20th century average of 2.8°C (37.0°F)—the twelfth warmest January on record. Land areas in the Southern Hemisphere were the warmest on record for January. In the Northern Hemisphere, which has much more land, comparatively, land surface temperatures were 18th warmest on record.
  • The worldwide ocean surface temperature for January 2010 was the second warmest—behind 1998—on record for January, 0.52°C (0.94°F) above the 20th century average of 15.8°C (60.5°F). This can be partially attributed to the persistence of El Niño across the equatorial Pacific Ocean. According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC), El Niño is expected to continue through the Northern Hemisphere spring 2010.

Applied Climate Science 
School of Natural Resources