Global Temperature Averages On Track to Hit All-Time Yearly High Amid Northeastern U.S. Cold Spell
ByThe Northeast - Buffalo in particular - may beg to differ, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says 2014 is on track to be the warmest in the 134-year history of recording Earth's average temperature.
According to Xinhua News, the term from Jan. through Oct. has had the highest average temperature since 1880, when such record keeping began. In its latest monthly report, the NOAA integrated global land and ocean temperatures, which has narrowly edged the previous record.
In Oct., the average temperature was 14.74 degrees Celsius, which is 0.01 degree Celsius higher than the all-time mark set in 2003.
"Five of the past six months have been record warm for their respective months; July was fourth warmest," the NOAA said in the report. "2014 is currently on track to be the warmest year on record.
"Record warmth was notable across a large area of southern South America, the U.S. western coastal regions, Far East Russia, parts of southern and southeastern Asia, much of southern and western Australia, and parts of southern Europe."
The report comes just after Buffalo, N.Y. experienced a vicious snow storm that dumped more than five feet of the white stuff all over, trapping people in their cars and homes and causing widespread damage. The Northeastern U.S. is experiencing a cold wave, but it is certainly not a Polar Vortex. ABC News reported that winter is not coming early, but rather sending an opening salvo.
According to USA Today, the warming trend experienced in past Decembers is expected this year as well. Since U.S. as a whole represents about two percent of the Earth's surface, the current cold spell in the Northeast is not expected to affect the global temperature average drastically.
The U.S. East Coast is currently one of the only regions experiencing temperatures colder than the global average for 2014.