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EPA no longer updates EPA's Global Warming Site, but is maintaining this archive for historical purposes. Please see EPA's Climate Change site for current information on climate change and global warming.
Temperature Tracker
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2006 Surface & Tropospheric Temperatures
2006 Monthly Global Surface
Temperature Tracker | 2006 Monthly Global Troposphere
Temperature Tracker
(Measured by Satellite for the layer
2-6 miles above the Earth's surface) |
August 2006: 0.97°F above the 1880-2005 long-term mean. The 4th warmest August on record.
July 2006: 1.01°F above the 1880-2005 long-term mean. The 3rd warmest July on record.
June 2006: 1.08°F above the 1880-2005 long-term mean. The 2nd warmest June on record.
May 2006: 0.90°F above the 1880-2005 long-term mean. The 5th warmest May on record.
April 2006: 0.88°F above the 1880-2005 long-term mean. The 7th warmest April on record.
March 2006: 1.01°F above the 1880-2005 long-term mean. The 7th warmest March on record.
February 2006: 0.81°F above the 1880-2005 long-term mean. The 7th warmest February on record.
January 2006: 0.50°F above the 1880-2005 long-term mean. The 13th warmest January on record.
 Source: National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) | August 2006: 0.13°F above the 1979-2005 mean. The 12th warmest August on record.
July 2006: 0.70°F above the 1979-2005 mean. The 2nd warmest July on record.
June 2006: 0.36°F above the 1979-2005 mean. The 5th warmest June on record.
May 2006: 0.09°F above the 1979-2005 mean. The 12th warmest May on record.
April 2006: 0.27°F above the 1979-2005 mean. The 7th warmest April on record.
March 2006: 0.18°F above the 1979-2005 mean. The 10th warmest March on record.
February 2006: 0.23°F above the 1979-2005 mean. The 10th warmest February on record.
January 2006: 0.16°F above the 1979-2005 mean. The 11th warmest January on record.
 Source: National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) |
2005 Year In Review
Second Warmest Year on RecordAccording to a year-end review of climate data by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the global average temperature for combined land and ocean surfaces in 2005 was the second-warmest on record. Unusual warmth throughout the world during 2005 continues a trend of rapidly rising temperatures that began in the mid-1970s. The warmest year on record was 1998, a year characterized by a strong El Niņo event. In contrast, according to NOAA, El Niņo had little influence on the global temperature in 2005.
Most land areas of the world were warmer than average in 2005. Temperatures in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere ranged from 5.4–9.0°F (3–5°C) above the 1961-1990 average. The United States had a warmer than average year, with 2005 ranking as the 13th warmest on record for the country.
For the fourth consecutive year, the extent of sea ice in the Northern Hemisphere was below the long-term mean. The area of sea ice in September was measured at 5.32 million square kilometers, a new-all time low. The extent of Northern Hemisphere snow cover was slightly above average in the winter months (December–February) but significantly below average during the spring season (March–May). North America recorded the smallest extent of seasonal snow cover since 1968.
Global precipitation in 2005 was near the 1961–1990 average, and rainfall recorded during India’s monsoon season was near normal. Colombia, Saudi Arabia, and parts of Eastern Europe experienced periods of heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding, while Eastern Australia, parts of Western Europe, and the U.S. Mississippi Valley and southern Great Plains region all experienced drier than average conditions. Severe droughts hit parts of Southern Africa and the Greater Horn of Africa. A long-term drought in Brazil's Amazon region left the word’s second-longest river with the lowest water levels in at least 30 years.
The Atlantic hurricane season was very active in 2005, with 26 named storms and 14 hurricanes, of which seven were above category 3. For the first time, three category 5 hurricanes, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, developed in the Atlantic Basin during one season. The number of hurricanes in the Eastern Pacific Basin was below average, while the number of tropical storms there was near average.
NOAA is in the midst of transitioning to an improved system for analyzing global average temperatures. The new system (which is still being tested) actually ranks 2005 as slightly warmer overall than 1998.
NOAA's climate report for 2005 is available at:
http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2005/ann/global.html
[Chart courtesy of: the National Climatic Data Center.]
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