May Global Temperatures 1.67F Above 20th Century Avg; Hottest 5 Mays All Occured 2015-19
It has been hotter in May the past few years than in more than a century. The world's land and oceans combined to reach 60.13 degrees Fahrenheit in the month that just ended, or 1.67 degrees above the 20th-century average, the National Centers for Environmental Information said in a statement Tuesday. That means the top-five hottest Mays in records going back to 1880 have all occurred since 2015.
"What we have been seeing is the temperatures have been increasing, not only on a monthly, but annually and seasonally as well," said Ahira Sánchez-Lugo, a climatologist at the centers in Asheville, N.C. Nine of the 10 warmest Mays occurred since 2010, with 1998 as the only outlier. "We have seen quite a spike since 2010 at least," Sánchez-Lugo said.
While the rest of the world baked, the western U.S., central and southeastern Canada, and northern and central Europe were actually cooler than average. The lower readings and heavy rains were caused by a low-pressure trough draped across the American continent that's sent rivers over their banks and left corn and soybean planting lagging the five-year average.
Northern Canada and Antarctica had temperatures rise about 7.2 degrees above normal in May.
EDIT
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2019/06/20/stories/1060634395
