April 2016 was the fourth warmest month in the satellite temperature record, but only the second warmest April (just behind April 1998 at +0.73 C, although the difference is within the error range of +/- 0.1 C), when compared to seasonal norms, according to Dr. John Christy, director of the Earth System Science Center at The University of Alabama in Huntsville in a press release.
April and March 2016 anomalies were similar, with some hint that the El Niño Pacific Ocean warming event’s warming of the atmosphere might have passed its peak. The ten warmest months in the satellite record (compared to seasonal norms) are now all from either the 1998 El Niño or the ongoing 2016 El Niño.
The recent uptick in warming has been sufficient to raise the global climate trend from +0.11 to +0.12 C per decade.
Global climate trend since Nov. 16, 1978: +0.12 C per decade
April temperatures (preliminary)
Global composite temp.: +0.72 C (about 1.30 degrees Fahrenheit) above 30-year average for April.
Northern Hemisphere: +0.85 C (about 1.53 degrees Fahrenheit) above 30-year average for April.
Southern Hemisphere: +0.58 C (about 1.04 degrees Fahrenheit) above 30-year average for April.
Tropics: +.94 C (about 1.69 degrees Fahrenheit) above 30-year average for April.
Go here for the monthly satellite data.
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