The May 2021 global temperature tied with 2018 as the sixth-warmest May in NOAA’s 142-year record. The global surface temperature was 1.46°F (0.81°C) above the 20th-century May average, continuing a decades-long warming trend.
May 2021 global temperature: key findings
- The global surface temperature was 1.46°F (0.81°C) above the 20th-century average of 58.6°F (14.8°C).
- May 2021 tied May 2018 as the sixth-warmest May since recordkeeping began in 1880.
- It was the 45th consecutive May and the 437th consecutive month with temperatures at least nominally above the 20th-century average.
- Asia recorded its second-warmest May, while Africa recorded its sixth-warmest.
Where temperatures were warmest and coolest
NOAA’s May 2021 global climate summary showed much-above-average temperatures across parts of northern, western, and southeastern Asia; Africa; northern South America; and sections of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans.
Other regions were cooler than average. These included parts of North America, the eastern Pacific Ocean, central Europe, central Asia, and India. Europe experienced its coolest May since 2004, while North America had its coolest May since 2011.
How to read NOAA’s May 2021 map
The map compares May 2021 with the 1981–2010 average. Dark red represents areas up to 9°F warmer than average, while deep blue marks areas up to 9°F cooler. White indicates temperatures near the baseline, and gray areas near the poles show locations without ground-based observations.
The chart beneath the map places the month in historical context by comparing every May since 1880 with the 20th-century average. The last cooler-than-average global May occurred in 1976.
What the long-term record shows
NOAA’s Climate at a Glance tool shows that global May temperatures increased by an average of 0.08°C (0.14°F) per decade over the period of record. The 2021 result fits that broader pattern even though regional conditions varied sharply.
That distinction matters: a high global ranking does not mean every location was unusually warm. The global number combines thousands of land and ocean observations, so regional cool spots can coexist with a warmer-than-average planet.
Explore the source data
Readers can find additional regional statistics and supporting data in NOAA NCEI’s May 2021 State of the Climate summary.
This article is based on a Climate.gov report by Rebecca Lindsey.
