How warm has 2010 been? So warm that although October was the coolest month so far this year year (compared to seasonal norms), it tied October 2006 as the second warmest October in the 32-year satellite climate record, according to Dr. John Christy, professor of atmospheric science and director of the Earth System Science Center at The University of Alabama in Huntsville.

2010 remains the second hottest year in the record, with average daily temperatures through October that were only 0.03 C — a difference that is not statistically significant — cooler than the record set in 1998 during
an El Nino Pacific Ocean warming event.

Global Temperature Report: October 2010

Global climate trend since 1978: +0.14 C per decade

October temperatures (preliminary)
Global composite temp.: +0.42 C (about 0.76 degrees Fahrenheit) above 20-year average for October.

Northern Hemisphere: +0.37 C (about 0.67 degrees Fahrenheit) above 20-year average for October.

Southern Hemisphere: +0.47 C (about 0.85 degrees Fahrenheit) above 20-year average for October.

Tropics: +0.15 C (about 0.27 degrees Fahrenheit) above 20-year average for October.

September temperatures (revised):
Global Composite: +0.60 C above 20-year average
Northern Hemisphere: +0.56 C above 20-year average
Southern Hemisphere: +0.65 C above 20-year average
Tropics: +0.29 C above 20-year average