Climate Updates

I recently read the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Global Climate Report for June 2020, and to sum it up, I'd say that June was a very hot month globally (as it was here in New England) and 2020 has also been one of the warmest years on record. You can the report at this link.

As a whole, the June 2020 global land and ocean temperatures were 1.66 °F above the 20th century average for the month, tying June 2015 for the 3rd warmest June on record.

Land & ocean temperature departure from average for June 2020 (NCEI)

The above map shows temperature anomalies from normal for June 2020. Notice the dark red spot in Siberia. You may have heard that Siberia had a temperature above 100 °F, and that record high temperature contributed to the warm temperature anomaly in that region this June. Specifically, the town of Verkhoyansk, Russia recorded a temperature of 100.4 °F on June 20th, which (pending approval from the world Meteorological Organization (WMO)) is the first time temperatures north of the Arctic Circle have risen above 100 °F. Northern Europe was also quite hot during the month, while the Northwest North America and Eastern Europe were on the cooler side. The following graph demonstrates how June temperatures have changed over the past ~ 140 years.

June temperature land and ocean temperature anomalies (NCEI)

Clearly, Junes have been getting much warmer, and June 2020 was one of the hottest on record.

As a whole, 2020 has also been one of the warmest years on record. This map shows the January-June temperature anomalies from normal for the world.

Land & ocean temperature departure from average for January-June 2020 (NCEI)

Siberia has clearly been the warmest area compared to average so far this year, while British Columbia and Alaska have been cooler than normal. I think this is a result of the Polar Amplification effect, where polar locations undergo more extreme changes than more temperate areas of the globe. Interestingly, there have also been some large swaths of cooler than normal temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere.

Jan-June temperature land and ocean temperature anomalies (NCEI)

The above graph shows how January-June temperatures have increased over the past ~140 years. Evidently, we've gotten warmer, and the first half of 2020 has been one of the warmest 1st halves of the year on record. What are some implications of this impressive warmth we've had so far this year? One place we can look is the Arctic. June Arctic sea ice extent, as shown by this image, was 10.1% below average, the 3rd smallest ever for the month.

June sea ice extent (National Snow and Ice Data Center)