But lower emissions will reduce the intensity of the driest years of megadrought events.
Rebecca Lindsey
It was the sixth-warmest August on record for the globe. It's very likely that the year will wind up among the 10 warmest years on record.
August was warmer than average, capping off a summer that tied for warmest on record.
Stories of drought, extreme heat, and fires dominated the weather headlines for the West in July. The central and eastern U.S. were wet and relatively cool.
Global average surface temperature in July—the hottest month of the year on average—set a new record in 2021. It's virtually certain that the year will go on to become one of the ten warmest years in the historical record.
According to NOAA scientists, 2011 was a record-breaking year for climate extremes, not just in the United States, but around the world. Here's an illustrated guide to the year's top ten global climate and weather events.
Record-warm temperatures over land combined with a sixth-warmest June for the oceans to make June 2021 the fifth-warmest June since records began in 1880.
May 2021 global surface temperature was 1.46°F above the 20th-century average, tying with 2018 as the sixth-warmest May in the 142-year record.
Although this was the smallest warm departure for any March since 2014, it was still the eighth-warmest March for the planet in the 142-year record.