Monthly Report Summary Information

Global Summary Information - January 2015

See Full Report

Janaury 2015 second warmest on record;

January had largest Antarctic sea ice extent on record

The globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces for January 2015 was the second highest among all years since record keeping began in 1880. The January global land surface temperature was also second highest on record, while the global ocean surface temperature was third highest.

Global highlights: January 2015

January 2015 Blended Land and Sea Surface
Temperature Percentiles January 2015 Blended Land & Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies in °C
• During January, the average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.39°F (0.77°C) above the 20^th century average. This was the second highest for January in the 1880–2015 record. The warmest January occurred in 2007, at 1.55°F (0.86°C) above average
• During January, the globally-averaged land surface temperature was 2.57°F (1.43°C) above the 20^th century average. This was also the second highest for January in the 1880–2015 record. The warmest January occurred in 2007, at 3.31°F (1.84°C) above average
• During January, the globally-averaged sea surface temperature was 0.95°F (0.53°C) above the 20^th century average. This was the third highest for January in the 1880–2015 record.
• The average Arctic sea ice extent for January was 350,000 square miles (6.3 percent) below the 1981–2010 average. This was the third smallest January extent since records began in 1979, according to analysis by the National Snow and Ice Data Center based on data from NOAA and NASA.
• Antarctic sea ice during January was 890,000 square miles (44.6 percent) above the 1981–2010 average. This was the largest January Antarctic sea ice extent on record, surpassing the previous record set in 2008 by 220,000 square miles.
• According to data from NOAA analyzed by the Rutgers Global Snow Lab, the Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent during January was 170,000 square miles below the 1981-2010. This was the 22^nd largest January Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent in the 49-year period of record.

For extended analysis of global temperature and precipitation patterns, please see our full January report