The Planet Just Had Its Warmest May on Record Ryan Koronowski - ThinkProgress
go to original June 26, 2014

A map showing the blended land and sea surface temperature percentiles in May 2014. Hot spots in red over both land and ocean. (NOAA)

Last month broke a temperature record, averaging 59.93 degrees Fahrenheit — a degree and a third (1.33°F) above the 20th century baseline, according to new data released this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. May 2014 was the 39th consecutive May that was warmer than average. This was also the 351st consecutive month where the global temperature was hotter than the 20th century average, meaning if you are 29 years old, you have never experienced a colder-than-average month in your life.

Since New Year’s Day, even as the U.S. shivered through the polar vortex, the planet as a whole experienced its fifth-warmest January-through-May on record — 1.19°F above the 20th century average. The last “hottest May” record was set in 2010. 2012 was the third-warmest, 1998 the fourth, and 2013 the fifth-warmest on record.

Where was it the warmest? Mostly over the oceans. The planet’s seas broke the high temperature record last set in the El Niño year of 1998 — coming in for a 1.06°F global monthly-averaged sea surface temperature.

The ocean temperature rise is important, as a study last year suggested that 30 to 40 percent of the heat trapped over the last decade or so has moved into the deep ocean. As those depths warm up, it gets harder for that deep warmth to be concealed — and now measurements are showing the surface water is warmer than ever.

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