National Climatic Data Center
15 July 2008
The data presented in this report are preliminary. Ranks and anomalies may change as more complete data are received and processed. The most current data may be accessed via the Global Surface Temperature Anomalies page.
Temperature anomalies for June 2008 are shown on the dot maps below. The dot map, below left, provides a spatial representation of anomalies calculated from the Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN) data set of land surface stations using a 1961-1990 base period. The dot map, below right, is a product of a merged land surface and sea surface temperature anomaly analysis developed by Smith and Reynolds (2005). Temperature anomalies with respect to the 1961-1990 mean for land and ocean are analyzed separately and then merged to form the global analysis. Additional information on this product is available.
During June, above average temperatures were observed across Australia, northwestern Africa, eastern Brazil, the eastern and southern continental U.S., and most of Europe and Russia. Meanwhile, cooler-than-average conditions were present across the north-central and northwestern contiguous U.S., the southern countries of South America, northern India, and western Russia.
Sea surface temperatures (SST) during June 2008 were warmer than average in the Atlantic, northwestern Pacific and eastern equatorial Pacific oceans, and parts of the Indian Ocean. Cooler-than-average conditions were present in parts of the southern oceans and in the Niño 3.4 and 4 regions. Temperatures across the Niño 3.4 and Niño 4 regions warmed but the anomalies remained below average. Please see the latest ENSO discussion for additional information.
Anomalously warm temperatures covered much of the world's land surface throughout the first half of the year. The January-June 2008 map shows the presence of warmer-than-average temperatures across Europe, Asia, western and central Australia, the eastern and southern continental U.S., parts of South America, and most of Africa. Elsewhere, cooler-than-average conditions were observed in parts of the northwestern and north-central states of the contiguous U.S., central Africa, eastern Australia, and other parts of South America.
Warmer-than-average SST conditions during January-June 2008 were present in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, eastern equatorial Pacific and parts of the northwest Pacific oceans. Cooler-than-average conditions were observed in the central equatorial Pacific, parts of the northeastern Pacific and some areas in the southern oceans.
The mean position of the upper level ridges of high pressure and troughs of low pressure (depicted by positive and negative 500-millibar height anomalies on the June map, respectively) are generally reflected by areas of positive and negative temperature anomalies at the surface, respectively. For other Global products, please see the Climate Monitoring Global Products page.
Images of sea surface temperature conditions are available for all weeks during 2008 at the weekly SST page.
Effective with the February 2006 report, NCDC transitioned from the use of the Operational Global Surface Temperature Index (Quayle et al. 1999) to the blended land and ocean dataset developed by Smith and Reynolds (2005). The differences between the two methods are discussed in Smith et al. (2005). The ranks found in the tables below are based on records that began in 1880.
The combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the eighth warmest on record in June and the ninth warmest on record for the January-June year-to-date period. The global average ocean sea surface temperature (SST) in June was the tenth warmest on record.
| June | Anomaly | Rank | Warmest (or Next Warmest) Year on Record |
|---|---|---|---|
GlobalLandOcean Land and Ocean |
+0.71°C (+1.28°F) +0.39°C (+0.70°F) +0.48°C (+0.86°F) |
4th warmest 10th warmest 8th warmest |
2005 (+0.98°C/1.76°F) 2005 (+0.52°C/0.94°F) 2005 (+0.64°C/1.15°F) |
Northern HemisphereLandOcean Land and Ocean |
+0.82°C (+1.48°F) +0.45°C (+0.81°F) +0.59°C (+1.06°F) |
5th warmest 9th warmest 6th warmest |
2006 (+1.09°C/1.96°F) 2005 (+0.62°C/1.12°F) 2005 (+0.74°C/1.33°F) |
Southern HemisphereLandOcean Land and Ocean |
+0.36°C (+0.65°F) +0.35°C (+0.63°F) +0.35°C (+0.63°F) |
23rd warmest 11th warmest 12th warmest |
2005 (+1.10°C/1.98°F) 1998 (+0.51°C/0.92°F) 1998 (+0.55°C/0.99°F) |
| January-June | Anomaly | Rank | Warmest (or Next Warmest) Year on Record |
|---|---|---|---|
GlobalLandOcean Land and Ocean |
+0.76°C (+1.37°F) +0.32°C (+0.58°F) +0.44°C (+0.79°F) |
8th warmest 10th warmest 9th warmest |
2007 (+1.14°C/2.05°F) 1998 (+0.53°C/0.95°F) 1998 (+0.64°C/1.15°F) |
Northern HemisphereLandOcean Land and Ocean |
+0.88°C (+1.58°F) +0.33°C (+0.59°F) +0.54°C (+0.97°F) |
8th warmest 8th warmest 8th warmest |
2007 (+1.34°C/2.41°F) 2005 (+0.51°C/0.92°F) 2007 (+0.78°C/1.40°F) |
Southern HemisphereLandOcean Land and Ocean |
+0.36°C (+0.65°F) +0.32°C (+0.58°F) +0.32°C (+0.58°F) |
18th warmest 19th warmest 19th warmest |
2005 (+0.92°C/1.66°F) 1998 (+0.56°C/1.01°F) 1998 (+0.60°C/1.08°F) |
The most current data may be accessed via the Global Surface Temperature Anomalies page.
The maps below represent anomaly values based on the GHCN data set of land surface stations using a base period of 1961-1990. During June 2008, above average precipitation fell over areas that include the Philippines, British Isles, Finland, Kenya, the midwestern and northeastern continental U.S., northern India, and eastern and southern China. Drier-than-average conditions were observed across the southern and most of the western U.S., parts of Europe, southern Australia, and South America.
In the U.S., heavy rain fell during the first half of June across much of the Midwest, prompting the worst floods in 15 years and causing numerous new record river crest levels. For more information, please visit the June Midwest Flooding page. In southern China, severe storms and Typhoon Fengshen brought heavy rain across the area, causing widespread floods and landslides. The copious amounts of rainfall the storms brought across southern China prompted June 2008 to be the wettest month ever on record for Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Macao, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. Records began in 1884. Hong Kong received a total of 1,346.1 mm (53 inches) of rain during June 2008, surpassing the previous record set in May 1889 by 105 mm (4 inches) of rain. As of 29 June 2008, Guangzhou received a total of 872.7 mm (34.4 inches) of rain and Macao received a total of 1200.8 mm (47.3 inches) of rain. The previous records for Guangzhou and Macao were set in June 1959 and May 1972 when a total of 684 mm (27 inches) and 975.2 mm (38.4 inches) of rain fell, respectively.
Additional details on flooding and drought can also be found on the June Global Hazards page.
Sea surface temperatures (SST) warmed across the equatorial Pacific Ocean during June, as the La Niña episode weakened to a neutral phase (shown in the adjacent animation of weekly sea surface temperature anomalies). A comprehensive summary of June 2008 ENSO conditions can be found on the ENSO monitoring page. For the latest advisory on ENSO conditions go to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) and the CPC ENSO Diagnostic Discussion.
Images of sea surface temperature conditions are available for all weeks since 2003 at the weekly SST page.
According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, the June 2008 Northern Hemisphere sea ice extent, which is measured from passive microwave instruments onboard NOAA satellites, was below the 1979-2000 mean. This was the third least June sea ice extent on record, behind 2006 and 2005. The past five years had the least June sea ice extent since records began in 1979, with 2006 having the least June sea ice extent on record. Sea ice extent for June has decreased at a rate of 3.4 percent per decade (since satellite records began in 1979) as temperatures in the high latitude Northern Hemisphere have risen at a rate of approximately 0.37°C per decade over the same period.
Meanwhile, the June 2008 Southern Hemisphere sea ice extent was above the 1979-2000 mean. This was the second largest sea ice extent in June (4.9 percent above the 1979-2000 mean) over the 30-year historical period, behind 1979 by 1.7 percent. Sea ice extent for June has increased at a rate of 0.9 percent per decade.
For further information on the Northern and Southern Hemisphere snow and ice conditions, please visit the NSIDC News page, provided by the NOAA's National Snow and Ice Data center (NSIDC).
Temperatures above the Earth's surface are measured within the lower troposphere, middle troposphere, and stratosphere using in-situ balloon-borne instruments (radiosondes) and polar-orbiting satellites (NOAA's TIROS-N). The radiosonde and satellite records have been adjusted to remove time-dependent biases (artificialities caused by changes in radiosonde instruments and measurement practices as well as changes in satellite instruments and orbital features through time). Global averages from radiosonde data are available from 1958 to present, while satellite measurements began in 1979.
These temperatures are for the lowest 8 km (5 miles) of the atmosphere. Information on the UAH and RSS sources of troposphere data is available.
| June | Anomaly | Rank | Warmest [Coolest] (or Next Warmest [Coolest]) Year on Record | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAH low-trop | -0.11°C/-0.20°F | 22nd warmest (9th coolest) |
1998 (+0.57°C/1.03°F) [1985 (-0.24°C/-0.43°F)] |
+0.09°C/decade |
| *RSS low-trop | +0.03°C/0.05°F | 18th warmest (13th coolest) |
1998 (+0.60°C/1.08°F) [1985 (-0.36°C/-0.65°F)] |
+0.15°C/decade |
*Version 03_0
| January- June |
Anomaly | Rank | Warmest [Coolest] (or Next Warmest [Coolest]) Year on Record | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAH low-trop | -0.03°C/-0.05°F | 20th warmest (11th coolest) |
1998 (+0.64°C/+1.15°F) [1989 (-0.21°C/-0.38°F)] |
+0.13°C/decade |
| *RSS low-trop | +0.01°C/+0.02°F | 21st warmest (10th coolest) |
1998 (+0.69°C/+1.24°F) [1985 (-0.30°C/-0.54°F)] |
+0.16°C/decade |
*Version 03_0
These temperatures are for the atmospheric layer centered in the mid-troposphere (approximately 3-10 km (2-6 miles) above the Earth's surface), which also includes a portion of the lower stratosphere. (The MSU channel used to measure mid-tropospheric temperatures receives about 25 percent of its signal above 10 km (6 miles).) Because the stratosphere has cooled due to increasing greenhouse gases in the troposphere and losses of ozone in the stratosphere, the stratospheric contribution to the tropospheric average, as measured from satellites, may create an artificial component of cooling to the mid-troposphere temperatures. The University of Washington (UW) versions of the UAH and RSS analyses attempt to remove the stratospheric influence from the mid-troposphere measurements, and as a result the UW versions tend to have a larger warming trend than either the UAH or RSS versions. For additional information, please see NCDC's Microwave Sounding Unit page.
The radiosonde data used in this global analysis were developed using the Lanzante, Klein, Seidel (2003) ("LKS") bias-adjusted dataset and the First Difference Method (Free et al. 2004) (RATPAC). Additional details are available. Satellite data have been adjusted by the Global Hydrology and Climate Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). An independent analysis is also performed by Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) and a third analysis has been performed by Dr. Qiang Fu of the University of Washington (UW) (Fu et al. 2004)** to remove the influence of the stratosphere on the mid-troposphere value. Global averages from radiosonde data are available from 1958 to present, while satellite measurements began in 1979.
Radiosonde measurements indicate that for the January-June year-to-date period, temperatures in the mid-troposphere were 0.13°C (0.24°F) above average, resulting in the twenty-first warmest January-June since global measurements began in 1958. However, as shown in the table below, satellite measurement of the January-June year-to-date period for the middle troposphere varied from fourth coolest (twenty-seventh warmest) to tenth coolest (twenty-first warmest) on record.
The global mid-troposphere temperatures were cooler than average in June 2008. As shown in the table below, satellite measurement for June 2008 ranked from third coolest (twenty-eighth warmest) to thirteenth coolest (eighteenth warmest) on record.
| June | Anomaly | Rank | Warmest [Coolest] (or Next Warmest [Coolest]) Year on Record | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAH mid-trop | -0.20°C/-0.36°F | 28th warmest (3rd coolest) |
1998 (+0.52°C/+0.94°F) [1989 (-0.29°C/-0.52°F)] |
+0.02°C/decade |
| *RSS mid-trop | -0.10°C/-0.18°F | 23rd warmest (8th coolest) |
1998 (+0.56°C/+1.01°F) [1989 (-0.28°C/-0.50°F)] |
+0.07°C/decade |
| **UW-UAH mid-trop | -0.13°C/-0.23°F | 22nd warmest (9th coolest) |
1998 (+0.64°C/+1.15°F) [1989 (-0.32°C/-0.58°F)] |
+0.07°C/decade |
| **UW-*RSS mid-trop | -0.03°C/-0.05°F | 18th warmest (13th coolest) |
1998 (+0.66°C/+1.19°F) [1989 (-0.30°C/-0.54°F)] |
+0.13°C/decade |
*Version 03_0
| January- June |
Anomaly | Rank | Warmest [Coolest] (or Next Warmest [Coolest]) Year on Record | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAH mid-trop | -0.18°C/-0.32°F | 27th warmest (4th coolest) |
1998 (+0.58°C/+1.04°F) [1989 (-0.26°C/-0.47°F)] |
+0.04°C/decade |
| *RSS mid-trop | -0.12°C/-0.22°F | 24th warmest (7th coolest) |
1998 (+0.62°C/+1.12°F) [1989 (-0.24°C/-0.43°F)] |
+0.09°C/decade |
| **UW-UAH mid-trop | -0.09°C/-0.16°F | 23rd warmest (8th coolest) |
1998 (+0.72°C/+1.30°F) [1989 (-0.28°C/-0.50°F)] |
+0.10°C/decade |
| **UW-*RSS mid-trop | -0.04°C/-0.07°F | 21st warmest (10th coolest) |
1998 (+0.74°C/+1.33°F) [1989 (-0.26°C/-0.47°F)] |
+0.15°C/decade |
| RATPAC | +0.13°C/+0.23°F | 21st warmest (31st coolest) |
1998 (+0.81°C/+1.46°F) [1965 (-0.60°C/-1.08°F)] |
+0.14°C/decade |
*Version 03_0
The table below summarizes stratospheric conditions for June 2008. On average, the stratosphere is located approximately between 16-23 km (10-14 miles) above the Earth's surface. Over the last decade, stratospheric temperatures have been below average in part due to the depletion of ozone. The large positive anomaly in 1982 was caused by the volcanic eruption of El Chichon in Mexico, and the sharp jump in temperature in 1991 was a result of the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines. In both cases the temperatures returned to pre-eruption levels within two years.
| June | Anomaly | Rank | Coolest Year on Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAH stratosphere | -0.58°C (-1.04°F) | 5th coolest | 1996 (-0.69°C/-1.24°F) |
| *RSS stratosphere | -0.49°C (-0.88°F) | 5th coolest | 1996 (-0.61°C/-1.10°F) |
*Version 03_0
For additional details on precipitation and temperatures in June, see the Global Hazards page.
Christy, John R., R.W. Spencer, and W.D. Braswell, 2000: MSU tropospheric Temperatures: Dataset Construction and Radiosonde Comparisons. J. of Atmos. and Oceanic Technology, 17, 1153-1170.
Free, M., D.J. Seidel, J.K. Angell, J. Lanzante, I. Durre and T.C. Peterson (2005) Radiosonde Atmospheric Temperature Products for Assessing Climate (RATPAC): A new dataset of large-area anomaly time series, J. Geophys. Res., 10.1029/2005JD006169.
Free, M., J.K. Angell, I. Durre, J. Lanzante, T.C. Peterson and D.J. Seidel(2004), Using first differences to reduce inhomogeneity in radiosonde temperature datasets, J. Climate, 21, 4171-4179.
Fu, Q., C.M. Johanson, S.G. Warren, and D.J. Seidel, 2004: Contribution of stratospheric cooling to satellite-inferred tropospheric temperature trends. Nature, 429, 55-58.
Lanzante, J.R., S.A. Klein, and D.J. Seidel (2003a), Temporal homogenization of monthly radiosonde temperature data. Part I: Methodology, J. Climate, 16, 224-240.
Lanzante, J.R., S.A. Klein, and D.J. Seidel (2003b), Temporal homogenization of monthly radiosonde temperature data. Part II: trends, sensitivities, and MSU comparison, J. Climate, 16, 241 262.
Mears, Carl A., M.C. Schabel, F.J. Wentz, 2003: A Reanalysis of the MSU Channel 2 tropospheric Temperature Record. J. Clim, 16, 3650-3664.
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Quayle, R.G., T.C. Peterson, A.N. Basist, and C. S. Godfrey, 1999: An operational near-real-time global temperature index. Geophys. Res. Lett., 26, 333-335.
Smith, T.M., and R.W. Reynolds (2005), A global merged land air and sea surface temperature reconstruction based on historical observations (1880-1997), J. Clim., 18, 2021-2036.
For all climate questions, other than questions concerning this report, please contact the National Climatic Data center's Climate Services Division:
Climate Services DivisionFor questions about this report, please contact:
Ahira Sánchez-Lugo-or-
Richard Heim
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2008/jun/global.html 
