For Sixth Consecutive Month, Record High Sea Surface Temperatures in Tropical Atlantic

Sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean's "Main Development Region" for hurricanes were at record levels in July.  Jeff Masters says that "the five warmest months in history for the tropical Atlantic have all occurred this year."

Above: Sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies (relative to 1961-1990).  White areas represent gridboxes containing no SST data. The black crosses and dashes indicate that a pixel is, respectively, the warmest or coldest example of that calendar month in the record. Source: UK Met Office Hadley Center.

Jeff Masters reports today (9 Aug 2010) from his Wunder Blog:

Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) in the Atlantic's Main Development Region for hurricanes had their warmest July on record, according to an analysis I did of historical SST data from the UK Hadley Center. SST data goes back to 1850, though there is much missing data before 1910 and during WWI and WWII. SSTs in the Main Development Region (10°N to 20°N and 20°W to 80°W) were 1.33°C above average during July, beating the previous record of 1.19°C set in July 2005. July 2010 was the sixth straight record warm month in the tropical Atlantic, and had the third warmest anomaly of any month in history. The five warmest months in history for the tropical Atlantic have all occurred this year. 

Masters adds that the anomalies "will continue to stay at record warm levels during the remainder of August, and probably during September as well. This should significantly increase the odds of getting major hurricanes in the Atlantic during the peak part of hurricane season, mid-August through mid-October."

Online Resources

Over 15,000 likely dead in Russian heat wave; Asian monsoon floods kill hundred more.  Posting (9 Aug 2010) from Jeff Masters' Wunderblog.  Includes section on "July SSTs in the tropical Atlantic set a new record."

Rising Greenhouse Gas Concentrations Driving Up Sea Surface Temperatures that Fuel More Intense Hurricanes .  WWF Climate Change Blog, 12 July 2010.

As Atlantic Hurricane Season Ramps Up, Radio Audiences Hear About Hurricanes and Climate Change .  WWF Climate Change Blog, 2 August 2010.