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Global climate summary for October 2022

By NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information released the agency’s October 2022 global climate report this week. Below are some highlights.

Global temperature

The October global surface temperature was 1.60 °F (0.89 °C) above the 20th-century average of 57.1 °F (14.0 °C). This was the fourth-warmest October in the 143-year record. October 2022 marked the 46th consecutive October and the 454th consecutive month with temperatures, at least nominally, above the 20th-century average.

Infographic including a global map of temperature parterns in October 2022 and a bar graph of October temperatures compared to the 20th-century average for each year from 1880-2022

(top) Temperatures in October 2022 compared to the 1991-2020 average, with places that were warmer than average colored red and places that were cooler than average colored blue. (bottom) October temperatures compared to the 20th-century average for each year from 1880 to 2022. NOAA Climate.gov image, based on data from NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Globally, land-only temperatures for October ranked second warmest on record, trailing October 2015 by 0.09 °F (0.05 °C). Unusually warm temperatures across much of the Northern Hemisphere land surface resulted in the warmest October land temperatures on record for the hemisphere, surpassing the previous record set in 2021 by 0.05 °F (0.03 °C). Combined with ocean temperatures, overall temperature in the Northern Hemisphere ranked second warmest on record after 2015.

Europe had its warmest October on record at 2.6°C (4.6°F) above the 1910-2000 average. This surpassed the previous record, set in 2020, by 0.38°C (0.68°F). More than seven countries in Europe recorded their warmest or joint-warmest October on record.

  • Austria had its warmest October on record. Austria's national weather service reported that the average temperature was 2.8°C above the 1991-2020 baseline in the lowlands, and 4.0°C warmer in the mountains.
  • According to MeteoSwiss, Switzerland had its warmest October since the country began its records in 1865, with an average temperature 3.7°C above the 1991-2020 average.
  • Belgium tied 2001 for its warmest October on record, 3.1°C warmer than the 1991-2020 average, according to Belgium's Royal Meteorological Institute.
  • MeteoFrance reported that France had its warmest October since records began in 1945, about 3.5°C above the 1991-2020 normal.
  • Spain recorded its warmest October since records began in 1961.
  • Germany tied 2001 for its warmest October on record according to the German Meteorological Service.
  • As reported by MeteoLux, October in Luxembourg tied a 2006 record for the warmest on record at 2.9°C above the 1991-2020 average.
  • According to the Ministry of the Environment and Space, Slovenia had its warmest October since at least 1950 at 3.2°C above the 1981-2010 average.

Global precipitation

  • The long-running (since 2020) La Niña provided background conditions for floods in Australia, South Asia and the Maritime Continent, and West Africa.
  • Precipitation deficits dominated North America (except for Arizona and New Mexico), which continued drought over large areas and low flow in the Mississippi River.
  • Western Europe reverted to rainfall deficits for October, endured a heat wave, and had its drought reinforced.
Global map of October 2022 precipitation patterns

Percent difference from average precipitation across the world in October 2022. Places that were wetter than average are green; places that were drier than average are brown. The influence of La Niña is obvious across the tropical Pacific, with a broad band of drier-than-average conditions in the central/eastern part of the basin, and a strong wetter-than-average signal over the Maritime Continent. NOAA Climate.gov map based on data form the Global Precipitation Climatology Project.

October precipitation was generally less than normal across the western, central, and southeastern U.S., Central America, southern Europe, central Asia, southern South America, as well as across parts of eastern China and southwestern Asia. Wetter-than-normal conditions were notable across parts of northern and northwestern Europe, southern central Asia, central India, northern Oceania, and eastern and southern Australia.

More information

October 2022 global climate summary

Full monthly report for October 2022

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