This has been the second warmest year on earth to date: NOAA

Jul 19 2017, 12:58 am

The earth has just experienced its second warmest year to date, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

In its climate check up, released on July 18, the NOAA said that June is a significant month as it marks the summer solstice for the Northern Hemisphere and the winter solstice for the Southern Hemisphere, and half the year is now over.

During the month of June, the global temperature was above the average of 15.5 degrees Celsius (or 59.9 F), according to NOAA scientists. From January to June, the year-to-date average temperature was 14.4 degrees Celsius, a whole 1.6 degrees warmer than the 20th century average.

This marked the second-warmest temperatures for this period, coming in behind the record set in 2016.

NOAA

“The globally averaged land-surface temperature (fourth warmest for the month of June) and the sea-surface temperature (third warmest) ranked second highest on record for the year to date,” states the NOAA.

During the month, Africa set a record with its warmest June, and Europe had its second warmest June, tied with 2007.

Meanwhile, the Antarctic sea ice extent was 6.3% below average, which was the second smallest June Antarctic sea ice extent since records began in 1979 and about 40,000 square miles larger than the record smallest extent set in 2002, according to the NOAA.

So if things felt warmer, it’s because it was.

NOAA

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