Overall temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere were more above average than the Southern, with an increase of 1.17°F (0.65°C) over the 30-year mean compared to the Southern Hemisphere's increase of 0.58°F (0.32°C).
Sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic in 2005 will likely be the warmest ever, according to the WMO report, and air temperatures rose all over the globe.
These record temperatures have been driving extreme weather events across the world.
In Australia the hottest average temperatures since 1910 made dry conditions even more painful. During the first five months of the year temperatures averaged 3.15°F (1.75°C) above normal.
Drought also tormented Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and much of western Europe.
In India people awaited the delayed arrival of the monsoon rains while enduring a heat wave that lasted into June. An estimated 400 deaths were attributed to the severe weather. When the monsoons arrived they led to massive flooding and 1,800 deaths.
On July 27 Mumbai (Bombay) recorded 37.2 inches (94.5 centimeters) of rain in a 24-hour period, a record for the city. As a comparison, New York City averages about 45 inches (114 centimeters) of rain in an entire year.
Eastern Europe also experienced flooding, with Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania most heavily affected.
Human Causes?
In North America the Southwest had heavy rain and snow. Los Angeles had its second heaviest rainfall on record. And major flooding also caused huge economic losses in Canada.
A record 26 tropical storms formed during the Atlantic hurricane season, with seven of them categorized as Category Three or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
The worst of these, Katrina, Wilma, and Rita, will be names to remember—according to NOAA, 2005 was the first time three Category Five storms have ever formed in the same season.
How much of this warming trend and the severe weather that has accompanied it can be attributed to human influences?
"We don't know whether this is down to human activity," said Mark Oliver, a WMO spokesperson. "Though we are naturally extremely concerned and are studying the issue very thoroughly."
NOAA's Lawrimore agrees. "We should not specifically link the severe weather this year with the global warming trend," he said.
"We don't know what aspect might have been worsened by global warming or if all of the hurricane activity, for instance, was entirely due to naturally occurring oscillations over longer periods of time."
Free E-Mail News Updates
Sign up for our Inside National Geographic newsletter. Every two weeks we'll send you our top stories and pictures (see sample).
|
SOURCES AND RELATED WEB SITES
|
