July 2011 Ranks Among World's Warmest

Photo By: NOAA

The heart of the 2011 summer ranked as the seventh warmest on record, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's tally of July 2011 temperatures around the world.

Warmer-than-average conditions occurred across Northern Europe, western and eastern Russia, and most of North America. (Discounting temperature readings of the ocean, it ranked as the fifth-warmest July on record over land.) Cooler-than-average regions included central Russia, Western Europe, much of the western United States, and southwestern Canada.

Temperatures were particularly warm over the Arctic, and there was more sea ice melting recorded in July than ever before. It still remains to be seen whether a new record for ice melt will be set, as the melt season continues into September.

For the year to date, the world is experiencing its 11th warmest on record.

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