Arctic and Antarctic sea ice coverage remain at near-record lows
With a warm start to the year and only one month remaining, the globe remains on track to go down as the third warmest year in the 138-year climate record.
A collage of typical climate and weather-related events: heatwaves, drought, hurricanes, wildfires and changes in sea ice coverage. (Image credit: NOAA)
So, let's get straight to the data and dive deeper into NOAA’s monthly analysis to see how the planet fared for November, the season and the year to date:
Climate by the numbers
November 2017
The average global temperature in November 2017 was 1.35 degrees F above the 20th-century average of 55.2 degrees, according to scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. This average temperature tied 2016 as the fifth highest for November in the 1880-2017 record. This marked the 41st consecutive November and the 395rd consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th-century average.
Seasonal | September through November 2017
The end of November marks the end of the fall season for the Northern Hemisphere and spring for the Southern Hemisphere. The average seasonal temperature for the globe was 1.35 degrees F above the 20th century average of 57.1 degrees F. This was the fourth highest for September-November in the 1880-2017 record.
Year to date | January through November 2017
The year-to-date average temperature was 1.51 degrees F above the 20th-century average of 57.2 degrees. This was the third warmest for this period on record.
Other notable climate events and facts around the world last month included:
Near-record-low sea ice at the poles
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The average Arctic sea ice coverage in November was 11.6 percent below the 1981-2010 average, the third smallest since records began in 1979.
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Antarctic sea ice extent in November was 5.7 percent below average, the second smallest on record.
Warmer-than-average lands and oceans
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The globally averaged land-surface temperature ranked as ninth warmest for the month of November, fifth warmest for the season (September – November) and second highest for the year to date (January to November).
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The globally averaged sea-surface temperature ranked fourth warmest for November and the season, and third highest for the year to date.
South America and Asia led the continents in November, seasonal warmth rankings
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South America and Asia had their 10th warmest November on record; Oceania, its 13th; Africa, its 19th; Europe, its 22nd; and North America, its 30th.
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For the season, South America and Asia had their second warmest September-November on record; Africa, its fourth; North America, its fifth; Oceania, its sixth; and Europe, its seventh.
More: You can find NOAA’s report and download related maps and images by visiting the NCEI website.
Media contact
Brady Phillips, 202-407-1298
