Graph of the Day: Global Temperature Anomalies, September 2009

The combined global land and ocean surface temperatures for September 2009 ranked as the second warmest September on record since records began in 1880. The combined global land and ocean temperature anomaly was 0.62°C (1.12°F), falling only 0.04°C (0.07°F) short of tying the record set in 2005. Similar to the combined global land and ocean temperatures, the worldwide land surface temperature was the second warmest September on record, behind 2005, with a temperature anomaly of 0.97°C (1.75°F) above the 20th Century average. During the month of September, warmer-than-average temperatures were present across Canada, Europe, the northern and western contiguous U.S., eastern Brazil, and most of Asia and Australia. The warmest anomalies occurred in Canada, the northern and western contiguous U.S., western Russia, and parts of Australia, where temperature anomalies ranged from 3-5°C (5-9°F) above the 1961-1990 average. Separately, the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere experienced above average temperatures for the combined land and ocean areas, resulting in the second warmest September on record, behind 2005 and 1997, respectively. The Southern Hemisphere September temperature tied with 2003. For the contiguous U.S., the national average during September 2009 was 19.1°C (66.4°F), 0.6°C (1°F) above the 20th Century average and the 32nd warmest on record. The West region and the states that constitute the region had their warmest September on record. Please see the United States September 2009 National Overview for additional information. …

 State of the Climate Global Analysis