NOAA has issued its monthly summary of the global climate picture for May, for the springtime months of March through May, and for the year-to-date: January through May. The combined global land and ocean surface temperatures for all three periods were the warmest since record-keeping began in 1880.
Here are the highlights for May:
* Warmest combined global land and sea-surface temperature on record, 1.24 degrees F above the 20th century average.
* Warmest global land surface temperature on record, 1.87 degrees above the 20th century average
* Second-warmest global sea-surface temperature (after 1998), 0.99 degrees above the 20th century average.
* Despite the averages, unusually cool spots included: western North America, northenr Argentina, interior Asia and Western Europe.
Highlights for the spring months, March through May:
* Warmest March-April period on record globally, 1.31 degrees above the 20th century average