The globe recorded its second warmest September since record keeping began in 1880, according to NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center. 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. NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies also rated September 2009 as the 2nd warmest September on record, falling 0.02°C short of the record set in 2005. It was the 33rd consecutive September with a global temperature above the 20th century average. NOAA rated the year-to-date period, January – September 2009, as the sixth warmest such period on record. The September satellite-measured temperatures for the lowest 8 km of the atmosphere were the 2nd warmest on record, behind 1998. Global ocean Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies, however, cooled a bit, and were the 5th warmest on record. Global SSTs were the warmest on record during the Northern Hemisphere summer, June – August.
Departure of temperature from average for September 2009. Image credit: National Climatic Data Center.
The old if it quacks…Hell, you know the story. Is this evidence of Global Warming…Climate Change? I can’t answer that. I know what my gut tells me. And looking at the world map on the Weather Underground, I know what I think the data is saying. But, to be fair, I do not have the training to interpret the data so I have to rely on those that do. And the growing consensus seems to be that the data supports the claims…and worries of the growing number of folks calling for government action.
On a happier note…Today’s weather here is gorgeous for a change. A dry cool front moved through the area last night. After highs in the record range yesterday we have nice, unseasonably cool, blue sky, breezy fall weather in store for the next few days. It’s 10am and the thermometer hasn’t climbed above 69 yet…These are the days that I pray for here on the Texas Gulf Coast.
