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News :: Environment |
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August 2004 Climate Report |
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by John Paul
(No verified email address) |
23 Sep 2004
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The National Climate Data Center has released its monthly climate report for August 2004 (available here: http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/monitoring.html). This report contains information on average temperatures for the globe, the United States as a whole and for individual states including Illinois.
Global Scale
According to this report, 2004 is on track to be one of the warmest years since 1880, when modern temperature records were first taken. Above average temperatures were found throughout much of the globe, but cooler than average temperatures were found in central and eastern North America and southwestern Australia. August 2004 was the 6th hottest August since 1880. Based on the January through August data, 2004 is currently the 4th warmest year since 1880.
The top ten hottest years for the entire globe (1880-2003) were:
Rank…Year…..°F above average…..°C above average
1……..1998…………1.13.…………………0.63
2……..2003…………1.01………………….0.56
tie……2002…………1.01………………….0.56
4……..2001…………0.92………………….0.51
5……..1997…………0.85………………….0.47
6……..1990…………0.72………………….0.40
tie……1995…………0.72………………….0.40
8……..1999…………0.68………………….0.38
9……..2000…………0.67………………….0.37
10……1991…………0.61………………….0.34
Degrees above average are calculated compared to the 1880-2003 average of 56.9°F / 13.9 °C.
Note that the hottest year, 1998, was the year of a strong El Niño event, and the next two hottest years 2002 and 2003 shared a weak El Niño event.
United States
Despite the warm temperatures worldwide, August has been very cool throughout the US. August 2004 was the 7th coolest (103rd warmest) since 1895. The entire US has been cooler than average, except for the west coast, Alaska and Hawaii, all of which have been hotter than average. Based on the January through August data, 2004 is currently the 32nd warmest year since 1880.
The top ten hottest years for the US (1895-2003) were:
Rank…Year…..°F above average…..°C above average
1……..1998…………2.12.…………………1.18
2……..1934…………2.10………………….1.17
3..……1999…………1.71………………….0.95
4……..1921…………1.68………………….0.93
5……..1931…………1.52………………….0.84
6……..1990…………1.42………………….0.79
tie……1991…………1.42………………….0.79
8……..2001…………1.41………………….0.78
9……..1953…………1.37………………….0.76
10……1954…………1.32………………….0.73
Degrees above average are calculated compared to the 1895-2003 average of 52.8°F / 11.6 °C.
Illinois
Like most of the US, Illinois has experienced cool weather in August. The average temperature in Illinois was 69.3°F, which is 4.4°F cooler than the long-term average. August 2004 was the 5th coolest (105th warmest) since 1895. Based on the January through August data, 2004 is currently the 48th warmest year since 1880.
The top eleven hottest years for Illinois (1895-2003) were:
Rank…Year…..°F above average…..°C above average
1……..1921…………3.69.…………………2.05
2……..1931…………3.39………………….1.88
3..……1998…………3.09………………….1.72
4……..1938…………2.59………………….1.44
5……..1946…………2.29………………….1.27
tie..…..1954…………2.29………………….1.27
7..……1933…………2.19………………….1.22
tie..…..1953…………2.19………………….1.22
9……..1913…………1.99………………….1.11
tie……1941…………1.99………………….1.11
tie……1987…………1.99………………….1.11
Degrees above average are calculated compared to the 1895-2003 average of 51.9°F / 11.1 °C.
The National Climate Data Center (NCDC) is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which is under the Department of Commerce. |
This work is in the public domain |
