Andddd global temperatures are soaring to new daily record highs again!

Graphic from https://zacklabe.com/climate-change-indicators/

I'm headed up to the tundra next week to observe the annual polar bear migration along the Hudson Bay in Canada and do science communication and educational outreach on the effects of our rapidly warming Arctic.

We'll also be livestreaming from their tundra buggy! Follow along with our trip at: https://polarbearsinternational.org/news-media/events/the-importance-of-storytelling/

Here's your Sunday ice update - #Arctic sea ice extent is currently the 10th lowest on record (JAXA data)...

• about 90,000 km² below the 2010s mean
• about 1,220,000 km² below the 2000s mean
• about 2,080,000 km² below the 1990s mean
• about 2,300,000 km² below the 1980s mean

More graphics: https://zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-ice-figures/

Last month observed the largest relative warming signal in the Arctic, which is not surprising for this time of year as the sea ice reforms. The tropical (El Niño) signal is really remarkable though.

[Plot shows zonal-mean temperature anomalies, where latitude = y-axis (not scaled by distance).]

Saturday El Niño update - Sea surface temperatures are still warming across Niño region 3.4 over the last week. Note that I finally had to readjust the scale on the map view, so it's not quite comparable to prior updates.

Data from NOAA OISSTv2.1: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/optimum-interpolation-sst

Temperature anomalies (departure from average) around our planet for the last month (left), 3 months (center), and 12 months (right)... Check out the development of the El Niño signature in the Pacific.

Data from https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.f17050d7

Trends in October #Arctic sea ice thickness over approximately the last four decades (through 2025)...

🟦 - increasing ice thickness
🟥 - thinning ice

Simulated data from PIOMAS. For more information: https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0436.1

El Niño is everywhere in the headlines, but ultimately human-caused climate change is the key reason for the record global warmth. 📈

Curious about how these two climate stories relate? Learn more in our latest report: https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/el-nino-global-temperatures-explained

Last month was the 2nd hottest September on record for our planet. The last couple of years have been exceptionally warm considering the historical record. 📈

This data is using NOAAGlobalTempv6.1.0: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/noaa-global-temp

Patterns of October temperatures in the #Antarctic when averaged by decade...

Data from @CopernicusECMWF ERA5 reanalysis.

Much of the perimeter of the #Arctic Ocean is getting wetter during the month of October. This is largest over the Barents-Kara Seas region, along with the eastern coast of Greenland.

+ Data: https://psl.noaa.gov/data/gridded/data.gpcp.html
+ More info: https://doi.org/10.25923/11nn-hn03

We're excited to share our new climate change indicators tool, featuring interactive, regularly updated data visualizations and access to the underlying data!

We're hoping to expand this feature over time, so let us know what other indicators you'd like to see!

➡️ Global Indicators (English and Spanish): https://www.climatecentral.org/tools/climate-indicators
▶️ Local climate: https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-local

Watch the changes in 100 years of average January-September temperature anomalies over land areas through 2026...

Data from NOAAGlobalTemp v6.1.0: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/noaa-global-temp

#Arctic climate rankings are now in for September 2026: https://zacklabe.com/archive-2026/. It was unusually warm again.

No updates on PIOMAS sea-ice volume and thickness. #SciComm #DataViz #OpenScience #OpenData

Simulated reconstruction of October #Arctic sea ice thickness since 1901. Large interannual variability and widespread thinning in recent years.

Information about this data set is available at https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0008.1

And here is the corresponding global upper ocean heat content (0 to 700 m depth) also now updated through June 2026...

This graph showing anomalies is created by NOAA at https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/global-ocean-heat-content/

Have a good week! Here's your Monday ice update - #Arctic sea ice extent is currently the 11th lowest on record (JAXA data)...

• about 9,000 km² above the 2010s mean
• about 1,230,000 km² below the 2000s mean
• about 2,250,000 km² below the 1990s mean
• about 2,550,000 km² below the 1980s mean

More graphics: https://zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-ice-figures/

#Arctic air temperature rank by month over the satellite era - now updated through September 2026...

+ Ranks: 1=warmest (red), 47/48=coldest (blue)
+ Download higher resolution: https://zacklabe.com/arctic-temperatures/
+ Data from @CopernicusECMWF: https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.f17050d7

"The last three months were about three degrees above average, hotter than the Dust Bowl summer of 1936 and the heat dome of 2021, and tens of millions of people can’t afford to pay for the air-conditioning that helped keep them safe in the deadly heat." via https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/18/us/oklahoma-extreme-heat-electricity-crisis.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JlE.ZbDI.sNsHY3XUGHJV&smid=nytcore-ios-share

Check this out! These maps show temperature anomalies averaged by decade in the #Arctic for the month of October. This month is one of the fast warming for Arctic amplification trends. Heat is being transferred back into the overlying atmosphere from newly open water.

Data: https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.f17050d7.