Summary of the world's climate in October 2013.
The global average temperature for October 2013 was 0.48 ± 0.15 °C above the 1961-1990 average (down slightly from July, August and September). Sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) in the Tropical Pacific remained close to or below the long-term average, but together with other indicators, conditions were still El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral.
During October, the global average air temperature over land was warmer than the long-term average. Alaska, parts of north Africa and central Asia were unusually warm. Part of the northern US and southern Canada were colder than average, as were areas of the middle east, south east Asia, southern Africa and South America.
SSTs were generally warmer than average. Areas of cooler than average SSTs were recorded in eastern Pacific, south Atlantic, Southern Ocean as well as parts of the northwest Pacific and an area in the north Atlantic southeast of Newfoundland. Other parts of the North Atlantic were much warmer than the long-term average.
Last updated: 5 February 2014