A map showing global temperature data for June 2014. National Climatic Data Center.
Writes Brian Kahn at Climate Central: “The world just experienced its hottest June on record. The heat was driven in large by part by the hottest ocean temperatures since recordkeeping began more than 130 years ago. That makes this the third-warmest start to the year.” I’m sure it’s nothing.
When looking at land areas only, this was the 7th-hottest June. Temperatures averaged over land were 1.7°F above average.
It’s the ocean surface temperatures that put the month over the top. Temperatures were 1.2°F above average. That’s a smaller number than the 1.7°F land averages, but oceans tend to lag behind air temperatures. And despite being a smaller number, oceans cover 70 percent of the planet, which tend to give them more weight on global temperatures.
“Driven by Ocean Heat, World Sets Mark for Hottest June” [climatecentral.org]