Daily Archives: July 18, 2018

June 2018: Earth’s Fifth Warmest June on Record

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Our global temperature continued its upward trend last month with June 2018 marking the fifth warmest June ever recorded on this planet. The ten warmest Junes have all occurred since 2005, with 2016 earning the top spot.

According to the State of the Climate report by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Earth’s combined average temperature for June – over both land and sea surfaces – was 61.25°F, which is 1.35°F above the 20th-century average. June also marked the 402nd consecutive month with a global temperature above its long-term norm. That means the last time any month posted a below average reading was December 1984.

While heat dominated most of the planet this June, some places were particularly warm, including much of Europe, central Asia, and parts of the Middle East. Here in the contiguous US, it was our third warmest June on record.

These soaring temperatures are largely attributed to the long-term trend of human-caused climate change. ENSO-neutral conditions prevailed in June, which means there was neither an El Niño nor a La Niña in the Pacific to influence global weather patterns.

Year to date, the first six months of 2018 were the fourth warmest such period of any year on record. Global temperature records date back to 1880.

June 2018 was the planet’s 5th warmest June on record. Credit: NOAA

Powerful Thunderstorm Brings Funnel Cloud and Flooding to NYC

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An intense thunderstorm swept through New York City on Tuesday afternoon. With bands of torrential downpours, it unleashed nearly half a month’s worth of rain in just a few hours.

According to the NWS, 2.24 inches of rain was measured in Central Park. While that is an impressive total, it did not break the daily rainfall record for the date. That honor belongs to June 17, 1995 when 3.13 inches of rain was reported. New York City, on average, gets 4.60 inches of rain for the entire month of July.

Funnel cloud forms over NY Harbor. Credit: Michael Uturn/Twitter

The powerful storm also produced a funnel cloud over New York Harbor. However, according to the NWS, it did not reach down to the surface and therefore was not a tornado.

The heavy rain, on the other hand, produced a number of problems on its own. It caused flash floods and disrupted travel across the city. Torrents of water poured into several subway stations creating underground waterfalls and parts of the FDR Drive, a major highway on the east side of Manhattan, were closed due to flooding. Significant delays and cancellations were also reported at the area’s airports.

This type of heavy rain event, according to NOAA, is expected to become more common in the northeast as global temperatures rise and precipitation patterns change.

Heavy rain causes flooding on FDR Drive in NYC. Credit: Patch