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Climate of 2002
October in Historical Perspective

National Climatic Data Center
14 November 2002

 This is the NOAA logo
Global Analysis / Global Hazards / United States / U.S. Drought / Extremes
Use these links to access detailed analyses of Global and U.S. data.

Global Highlights:

  • Global average combined land and sea surface temperature was the fourth warmest for October 2002
  • October temperatures were much colder than average over the U.S. and northern Europe, with above average warmth across the Mediterranean region, southern Brazil and northern Argentina
  • October was wetter than average across much of the eastern U.S. and parts of Europe, with below average precipitation across Indonesia, Australia and the Pacific coast of North America
 

Contents of this Section:
This is a break in the document The data presented in this report are preliminary. Ranks and anomalies may change as more complete data are received and processed. The most current data may be accessed via the Global Surface Temperature Anomalies page. This is a break in the document

Top of Page Introduction

The October 2002 mean temperature was 2-4°C (3.6-7.2°F) below a 1968-1996 average across much of the central United States into southern Canada, most of northern Europe, and across parts of Mongolia and northeastern China as shown in the adjacent map of surface temperature anomalies estimated from the NCEP Reanalysis. Warmer than average temperatures occurred over Alaska, southern Brazil into northern Argentina and throughout much of southern Asia. The mean position of upper level ridges and troughs of low pressure (depicted by positive and negative 500 millibar height anomalies) are generally reflected by areas of positive and negative temperature anomalies at the surface, respectively. A belt of warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures persisted throughout the tropical Pacific during October, the signature of El Niño conditions.
Global Temperatature Anomalies Estimated from NCEP Reanalysis in October 2002
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Global Temperature Anomalies in October 2002
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October temperature anomalies calculated from the Global Historical Climatology Network data set of land surface stations using a 1961-1990 base period show below average temperatures of 2-5°C (3.6-9°F) across the Northern Plains of the United States and across areas of Scandinavia into northwest Russia. Much warmer than average temperatures (+2 to +5°C or +3.6 to +9°F) extended across high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, including Alaska and far northern Canada. Anomalous warmth also was noted across parts of southern Argentina and Brazil, as well as much of Australia.
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Top of Page Temperature

October
  • For October 2002, the global average land and ocean surface temperature was 0.45°C (0.81°F) above the 1880-2001 average, ranking as the fourth warmest October in the period of record
  • The warmest Octobers occurred in 2001 and in 1997, with an anomaly of +0.55°C (+0.99°F)
  • The October ocean surface temperature average was second warmest on record, 0.45°C (0.81°F) above average
Global Temp Anomalies in October 2002
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January-October
  • The global land and ocean surface temperature average (January-October 2002) was the second warmest such 10-month period in the 1880-2002 record, 0.57°C (1.03°F) above the long-term mean and 0.08°C (0.14°F) cooler than during the El Niño year of 1998
  • January-October 2002 average temperature across land areas also ranked as second warmest on record, or 0.93°C (1.67°F) above the 1880-2001 average
Global Temp Anomalies in January-October 2002
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  • Serial monthly global surface temperature departures with respect to a 1971-2000 mean are shown in the figure to the right
  • The recent return to record or near record temperature departures is evident, and globally averaged surface temperatures (land and ocean) have been warmer than the 1971-2000 average for the last 78 consecutive months
Global Temperature Timeseries
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Top of Page Precipitation

  • During October 2002, much above average precipitation fell along the U.S. Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard, from the United Kingdom eastward into western Russia, and over southern India
  • Below average precipitation was observed across southeastern Alaska and North America's Pacific coast, Colombia and Venezuela, much of Australia, and Indonesia
  • Additional regional analysis can be found on the Global Hazards page
Global Precip Anomalies in October 2002 larger image

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Top of Page Microwave Sounding Unit Data

Lower Tropospheric Temperature time series
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  • Temperatures in the lowest 8km (5 miles) of the troposphere were 0.10°C (0.18°F) above average during October 2002
  • October 2002 temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere were 0.31°C (0.56°F) above average, the warmest October in the satellite period of record (1979 to present)
  • Meanwhile, October temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere were -0.11°C (-0.20°F) cooler than average.
Lower Stratospheric Temperature time series
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  • October 2002 temperatures were below average in the lower stratosphere, with a departure of -0.41°C (-0.74°F)
  • Stratospheric temperatures were the second coldest on record for October in the Northern Hemisphere, or 0.90°C (1.62°F) below average.
  • Stratospheric temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere were slightly above average

Lower tropospheric and lower stratospheric temperature data are collected by NOAA's TIROS-N polar-orbiting satellites and adjusted for time-dependent biases by NASA and the Global Hydrology and Climate Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

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  For additional details on precipitation and temperatures in October, see the Global Hazards page .

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References:

Peterson, T.C. and R.S. Vose, 1997: An Overview of the Global Historical Climatology Network Database. Bull. Amer. Meteorol. Soc., 78, 2837-2849.

For all climate questions other than questions concerning this report, please contact the National Climatic Data Center's Climate Services Division:

Climate Services Division
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue, Room 120
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4876
phone: 828-271-4800
email: ncdc.orders@noaa.gov
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For questions about this report, please contact:

David Easterling
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4328
email: David.Easterling@noaa.gov
-or-
Jay Lawrimore
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4328
email: Jay.Lawrimore@noaa.gov

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