NOAA – August global temperatures are fourth highest on record; Arctic sea ice extent shrinks to record low: “The average global temperature across land and oceans during August 2012 was 0.62°C (1.12°F) above the 20th century average of 15.6°C (60.1°F) and ranked as the fourth warmest August since records began in 1880. Monthly global temperatures anomalies have been among the five highest for their respective months for five consecutive months, since April 2012. August 2012 marks the 36th consecutive August and 330th consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20th century average. The last below-average August temperature was August 1976 and the last below-average temperature for any month was February 1985. At the hemispheric scale, the Northern and Southern Hemisphere each also ranked as fourth warmest on record.”