September 2014 Global Climate Report
2014 year-to-date temperatures versus previous years
These graphics compare the year-to-date temperature anomalies for 2014 (black line) to what were ultimately the five warmest years on record: 2010, 2005, 1998, 2003, and 2013. Each month along each trace represents the year-to-date average temperature. In other words, the January value is the January average temperature, the February value is the average of both January and February, and so on.
The graphic on the left shows the basic year-to-date comparison. The graphic on the right zooms even further to what were ultimately the five warmest years on record, and shows several end-of-year results based on the following scenarios:
The years 2013 and 2014 are the only years on this list not to begin during a mature El Niรฑo event. The years 1998 and 2010, each of which became the warmest year on record at the time, ended the year in a strong La Niรฑa event, as evidenced by the relative fading of global average temperature later in the year.
The anomalies themselves represent departures from the 20th century average temperature. The graph zooms into the warmest part of the entire history. For a broader perspective on how these five years relate to the long-term record, click here.
Global Year to Date Temperature Anomalies
2014 End-of-Year Global Temperature scenarios
For reference, the five scenarios for the graphic on the right are:
Scenario | Color (dashed line) | Notes |
---|---|---|
Each month matches its warmest value on record | orange | Five of the last 12 months (November 2013, May 2014, June 2014, August, 2014, and September 2014) have tied or exceeded this value |
Each month matches its 3rd warmest value on record | purple | Each of the last six months (April through September) have been 3rd warmest or warmer |
Each month matches the average of its ten warmest values | blue | Of the last 12 months, only February 2014 has not been at least this warm |
Each month matches its 21st century average | navy | This includes the 13 values from 2001-13 |
Each month matches its 10th warmest value on record | green | Of the last 12 months, only February 2014 has not been at least this warm |