April, one of the warmest in years

The temperature of April, as well as the first quarter of 2017, ranked 2nd as the warmest in 138 years of records. At the poles, the extension of sea ice reached almost its lowest.

The global average temperature in April was 0.9 degrees Celsius above the 20th century's average, which was 13.17 degrees, according to the analysis of scientists at the Environmental Information National Centers of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This was the second highest for any April in the 1880-2017 register, only behind last year by 0.2 degrees Celsius.

Up to now, this April has been 1 degree above last century’s average of 12.6 degrees. This was the second highest register for this period, one tenth colder than 2016's mark.

The average extension of the Arctic's sea ice was 6.9 percent lower than 1981-2010's average for April and tied 2016 as the lowest in this month since the registers began back in 1979.

The Antarctic’s average extension of sea ice in April was 18.2 percent lower than the average in 1981-2010 and was classified as the second lowest measurement registered in the month.

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