November of this year was unseasonably cool along the east coast of the United States, including here in New York City.  Much of the rest of the planet, however, was exceptionally warm.

According to the National Climatic Data Center, November 2012 was the fifth warmest November on record for the entire globe.  Earth’s combined average temperature for the month – over both land and sea surfaces – was 56.41°F, which is 1.21°F above the 20^th century average.  This November also marks the 333^rd consecutive month that our global temperature was above its long-term norm.

While a certain amount of climate variability is natural, it is important to note that since record keeping began in 1880, our planet’s ten warmest Novembers have all occurred in the past twelve years.  In contrast, the ten coolest Novembers were all recorded prior to 1920.

Image Credit: National Climatic Data Center