2010 could beat record for heat

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

After eight months, 2010 is running neck-and-neck with 1998 for the record as the hottest year.

The planet’s average temperature for January-August was 58.5 degrees Fahrenheit, tying the record heat set for that period in 1998, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday.

NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center also reported:

It was the third-hottest August on record with an average temperature for the month of 61.2 degrees F. The hottest August was 1998, followed by 2009.

The meteorological summer — June-August — averaged 61.3 degrees F, making it the second- hottest summer on record worldwide behind 1998.

Meanwhile, a separate report from the National Snow and Ice Data Center said Arctic sea-ice cover appears to have reached its minimum extent for the year and is the third-lowest extent recorded since satellites began measuring minimum sea-ice extent in 1979.

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