October Highlights:

• Temperatures were above average over much of the globe, with North America having its warmest October on record. 
• The year-to-date global temperature was the warmest such period on record, with North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Oceania each ranking first.
• Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent was near average in October whereas global sea ice extent ranked lowest on record. 
• Global tropical cyclone activity was near average with 11 named storms, including five in the Atlantic Basin.

Temperature

The October global surface temperature was 2.38°F (1.32°C) above the 20th-century average of 57.2°F (14.0°C), making it the second-warmest October on record, 0.09°F (0.05°C) below October 2023. According to NCEI’s Global Annual Temperature Outlook, there is a >99% chance that 2024 will rank as the warmest year on record.

October temperatures were above average across much of the global land surface except for Greenland, central and southern Africa, parts of central Asia and much of eastern Antarctica. Overall it was the warmest October on record over global land areas. North America had its warmest October on record while South America and Oceania were second warmest. Approximately 12% of the world’s surface had a record-high October temperature. Sea surface temperatures were above average over most areas, while parts of the tropical eastern Pacific and the southeastern Pacific were below average, as were the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The global ocean was the second warmest on record for October.

The year-to-date (January–October) global surface temperature was 2.30°F (1.28°C) above the 20th-century average, making it the warmest such period on record. North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Oceania each had their warmest year-to-date period.

Surface Temperature Departure from the 1991–2020 Average for October 2024 (°C). 
Red indicates warmer than average and blue indicates colder than average.

Snow Cover

The Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent in October was near average. Snow cover over North America was below average (by 330,000 square miles); Eurasia was slightly above average (by 230,000 square miles). Snow cover extent was above average over much of eastern Russia and below average over much of Canada.

Sea Ice

Global sea ice extent was the smallest in the 46-year record at 8.68 million square miles, which was 1.25 million square miles below the 1991–2020 average. Arctic sea ice extent was below average (by 600,000 square miles), ranking fourth lowest on record, and Antarctic extent was also below average (by 650,000 square miles), ranking second lowest on record.

Tropical Cyclones

Eleven named storms occurred across the globe in October, which was near the 1991–2020 average. The Atlantic basin saw five tropical cyclones during October, including Hurricane Milton, which peaked as a Category 5 storm and made landfall just south of Tampa Bay. Through the end of October there have been 70 named storms worldwide, which is six less than the long-term average.

For a more complete summary of climate conditions and events, see our October 2024 Global Climate Report or explore our Climate at a Glance Global Time Series.