At Half-Way Point, 2009 is the Fifth Warmest Year on Record

eere.energy.gov

The first half of 2009 is tied with 2004 as the fifth warmest half-year on record for the world as a whole, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Combined land and ocean surface temperatures for January through June were 0.55°C above the 20th century average, falling just 0.09°C below the record temperature recorded in 1998, when global temperatures were elevated by an El Niño event.

But the outlook for the rest of the year is for more elevated global temperatures, as a new El Niño event began in June. The effects of that event are already evident, as global ocean surface temperatures in June set a new record, at 0.59°C above the 20th century average. Overall, June 2009 ranked as the second-warmest June on record and the warmest ever in the Southern Hemisphere.