CONTACT:  Tim Tomastik                     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
          Patricia Viets, NOAA             Nov. 13, 1998
          Stephanie Kenitzer, NOAA

October 1998 falls slightly below the global record set in October 1997 for the warmest global surface (land and ocean) temperature on record, the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported today.

Global Data for October
At 58.14 degrees Fahrenheit, the mean global surface temperature for October 1998 was 1.04 degrees F above the 1880-1997 mean global surface temperature of 57.1 degrees F. October 1997 was the warmest October on record at 58.15 degrees F. For October 1998, the global land surface temperature was 1.74 degrees F above the long- term mean, while the global sea surface temperature for the same time was 0.74 degrees F above the long-term mean, down from the 1997 value of 0.986 degrees F above the long-term mean.

Global Data for the Year to Date
The period January through October 1998 was the warmest such period on record at 58.64 degrees. This is 1.24 degrees F above the 1880-1997 mean of 57.4 degrees F and exceeds the previous record for this period set in 1997 by 0.36 degrees F.

U.S. Data for October
In the United States, October 1998 was the 32nd warmest and the 9th wettest such month since 1895. Regionally, October 1998 was the 19th warmest such month on record for the South region. The South region includes Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas.

For both the West and Northwest regions, October 1998 was the 30th coolest such month on record. It was the third consecutive such month of below normal temperatures for the West region and the fifth consecutive such month of below normal temperatures for the Northwest region. The West region includes California and Nevada while the Northwest region includes Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

Based upon preliminary data for the Southeast region, October 1998 was the 11th driest such month since 1895. Precipitation for the previous six Octobers (1992-1997) has been above- to much-above the long-term mean. The Southeast region includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

U.S. Data for the Year to Date
Preliminary data indicate that the period January-October 1998 was the wettest such period on record and was the second warmest such period for the contiguous United States, with a national averaged temperature of 57.4 degrees F. The warmest January- October was 57.7 degrees F, which occurred in 1934. The 1961-1990 normal January- October temperature for the United States is 55.3 degrees F.

The national averaged precipitation value was 28.39 inches. The 1961-1990 normal for the same period is 24.84 inches. The second wettest January-October took place in 1973 with 28.13 inches of precipitation.

Notes to Editors: More information is available at:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/climate/research/1998/oct/oct98.html

and at:

http://nic.fb4.noaa.gov (click on Climate Monitoring; click on U.S.A.; click on United States; click on Monthly.)