Earth Experienced 3rd Warmest May on Record This Year

Though described as preliminary, the most recent data from NOAA rank this year's May as the third hottest on record since measurements were first kept 134 years ago, averaging 1.19 degrees Fahrenheit (0.66 degrees Celsius) above the 20th century average of 58.6 degrees Fahrenheit (14.8 degrees Celsius).

In doing so, it tied with 1998 and 2005 when combining average temperatures over global land and ocean surfaces, and marked the 339th consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th century average.

In particular, areas that experienced higher-than-average monthly temperatures included most of northern Siberia, western Russia, northern and eastern Europe and central Australia.

In contrast, western Siberia, northeastern Kazakhstan, western Europe, southwestern Greenland and parts of the United States, including Alaska, experienced temperatures notably below average. 

As a result of the unusual temperatures, many regions throughout the globe experienced extreme weather.

May snow cover in Eurasia was the smallest ever measured since records began in 1967. Meanwhile, the Antarctic sea ice extent was 6.3 percent above the 1981 to 2010 average, corresponding with regions that averaged -8.1 degrees Fahrenheit (4.5 degrees Celsius) below the norm. In all, minimum temperature records were broken in the area on two days during the month.

In terms of the meteorological spring, lasting from March to May, global temperatures were the eighth warmest on record, averaging 1.06 degrees Fahrenheit (0.56 degrees Celsius) above the 20th century average, tying with 2004. All told, the United Kingdom alone experienced its coldest spring since 1967 this year.

In terms of precipitation, while the upper Midwest saw a very wet spring, most states in the Southwest and Intermountain West experienced below-average rain and snowfall, further exacerbating drought conditions in the West.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the highest level of drought intensity continues throughout a major swath of land covering northern Texas, western Oklahoma, western Kansas, eastern Colorado and nearly all of New Mexico.

Overall, nearly some degree of drought continues to be a problem for nearly the entire United States west of the Mississippi River.