Earth had its ninth-warmest November on record
November Highlights:
- This year saw the fifth-warmest September-November period, tied with the years 2016 and 2018.
- Arctic and Antarctic sea ice extents ranked among the 10 lowest on record.
- Parts of western North America experienced their coldest November in over 40 years.
- Six named tropical storms occurred in November, which was below average activity for the month.
Globally, November 2022 was the ninth-warmest November in the 143-year NOAA record. The year-to-date (January-November) global surface temperature was the sixth-warmest on record. According to NCEI’s Global Annual Temperature Outlook, there is a greater than 99% chance that 2022 will rank among the 10-warmest years on record but less than 1% chance that it will rank among the top five.
This monthly summary, developed by scientists at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, is part of the suite of climate services NOAA provides to government, business, academia and the public to support informed decision-making.
Monthly Global Temperature
The November global surface temperature was 1.37°F (0.76°C) above the 20th-century average of 55.2°F (12.9°C). This ranks as the ninth-warmest November in the 143-year record, but the coolest November since 2014. November 2022 marked the 46th consecutive November and the 455th consecutive month with temperatures, at least nominally, above the 20th-century average.
Europe tied 2000 for its third-warmest November on record. South America, Asia, and Africa each had a November that ranked among their 20 warmest on record. North America had a warmer-than-average November, but it did not rank among its top-20 warmest on record. Oceania had a cooler-than-average month and its coolest November since 1999.
Temperatures were above average throughout most of Europe and much of southern Asia, as well as across parts of eastern and southern North America, northwestern Canada and Alaska, northwestern Africa, southern South America, and northeastern and southeastern Oceania. Sea surface temperatures were above average across much of the northern, western and southwestern Pacific and the Atlantic. Record warm temperatures covered 8.68% of the world’s surface this month.
Temperatures were near- to cooler-than-average throughout much of western and northeastern North America, eastern South America, northern and northeastern Asia, Australia, and across parts of north-central Africa. Parts of western North America had their coldest November in nearly 40 years. Consistent with La Niña, sea surface temperatures were below average over much of the south-central, central, and eastern tropical Pacific. None of the world's surface had a record-cold November.
Sea Ice and Snow Cover
Globally, November 2022 saw the fourth-lowest November sea ice extent on record.
Arctic sea ice extent in November averaged 3.75 million square miles, which is about 165,000 square miles below the 1991-2020 average. This marks the eighth-smallest November extent in the 44-year record. The November 2022 Antarctic sea ice extent ranked fifth-smallest on record at 5.81 million square miles, or about 313,000 square miles below the 1991-2020 average.
According to data from NOAA and analysis by the Rutgers Global Snow Lab, the Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent during November was 1.04 million square miles above the 1991-2020 average. This ranks as the fourth-largest Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent on record. Extent was above average in North America, Greenland, and Eurasia.
Global Precipitation
Above-average November precipitation was observed across parts of the southeastern U.S., eastern Brazil, the United Kingdom, eastern and southeastern Asia, and most of Oceania. Meanwhile, drier-than-average conditions were present across parts of the western U.S., southeastern South America, central, eastern, and southwestern Europe, and southwestern Asia.
Seasonal Global Temperature
The September–November 2022 global surface temperature was 1.51°F (0.84°C) above the 20th-century average of 57.1°F (14.0°C). This ranks as the fifth-warmest September–November period in the 143-year record, tied with the September–November periods of 2016 and 2018. The past 10 September–November periods have been the 10 warmest such periods on record.
The September–November period is defined as the Northern Hemisphere's meteorological autumn and the Southern Hemisphere's meteorological spring. The Northern Hemisphere autumn 2022 temperature was the fifth warmest on record at 2.00°F (1.11°C) above average. The Southern Hemisphere spring temperature tied 2013 as the 12th warmest on record.
Europe had its third-warmest meteorological autumn on record at 3.33°F (1.85°C ) above average. It was the fifth-warmest September–November period on record for both North America and Asia. Africa had its seventh-warmest September–November period on record. Meanwhile, Oceania had its coolest September–November period since 2010 and South America had its coolest such period since 2013.
Global Tropical Cyclones
Six named storms occurred across the globe this November. Four of those reached tropical cyclone strength (winds ≥74 mph), but none reached major tropical cyclone strength (winds ≥111 mph). The North Atlantic, with three hurricanes, was more active than normal during November. The West Pacific had below average activity for the month with two named storms including one typhoon. No storms were active in the East Pacific during November for the first time since 2017. The numbers of named storms and major tropical cyclones were both below normal, but the number of tropical cyclones was near normal.
For a more complete summary of climate conditions and events, see our November 2022 Global Climate Report.
