23 July 2014: According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Japan Meteorological Agency’s (JMA) Tokyo Climate Center, June’s 2014 global average temperature, driven by record sea surface temperatures, was higher than for any previous June since record keeping began.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reports that, according to NOAA, the combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces was 16.22°C, or 0.72°C above the 20th century average, with nine of the ten warmest Junes on record having occurred during the 21st century. May 2014 was also the hottest May on record, while the first six months of the year (January to June) tied as the third warmest on record.

NOAA said record warming occurred across parts of southeastern Greenland, northern South America, eastern and central Africa, southern and southeastern Asia, and New Zealand. Sections of every major ocean basin also experience record warming, particularly large parts of the western equatorial and northeastern Pacific Ocean and most of the Indian Ocean. However, some areas in North America, Far East Russia, and parts of central and northeastern Europe were cooler or much cooler than average.

Given that the Tokyo Climate Center and NOAA employ slightly different observations, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) uses a combination of datasets to compile its annual Statement on the Global Climate. [WMO Press Release] [NOAA Website] [JMA Website]