Global temperature, May 1981

Global anomaly+0.25°C1951–1980

Rank among all Mays44 / 147warmest first

N. Hemisphere+0.18°C

S. Hemisphere+0.31°C

vs same month last year−0.10°C

CO₂ (Mauna Loa)343.04 ppm

All months of 1981

Jan+0.53°C

Feb+0.42°C

Mar+0.48°C

Apr+0.32°C

May ◀+0.25°C

Jun+0.29°C

Jul+0.33°C

Aug+0.35°C

Sep+0.15°C

Oct+0.12°C

Nov+0.23°C

Dec+0.41°C

This month+0.25°C

Same month, previous year+0.35°C

Same month 10 years earlier−0.05°C

Same month 50 years earlier−0.20°C

May average 1991–2020+0.58°C

Warmest May on record (2024)+1.16°C

Year	Global	NH	SH	Rank
1971	−0.05°C	−0.12°C	+0.01°C	76
1972	−0.03°C	−0.15°C	+0.10°C	72
1973	+0.23°C	+0.09°C	+0.36°C	45
1974	−0.04°C	−0.19°C	+0.11°C	75
1975	+0.16°C	−0.02°C	+0.33°C	51
1976	−0.20°C	−0.26°C	−0.15°C	101
1977	+0.33°C	+0.23°C	+0.42°C	36
1978	+0.09°C	−0.06°C	+0.24°C	59
1979	+0.03°C	+0.01°C	+0.06°C	66
1980	+0.35°C	+0.26°C	+0.44°C	32
1981	+0.25°C	+0.18°C	+0.31°C	44
1982	+0.18°C	+0.09°C	+0.27°C	48
1983	+0.34°C	+0.05°C	+0.63°C	34
1984	+0.33°C	+0.23°C	+0.42°C	35
1985	+0.15°C	+0.09°C	+0.20°C	53
1986	+0.21°C	+0.19°C	+0.23°C	46
1987	+0.26°C	+0.23°C	+0.29°C	43
1988	+0.44°C	+0.43°C	+0.45°C	28
1989	+0.18°C	+0.22°C	+0.13°C	47
1990	+0.46°C	+0.50°C	+0.41°C	27
1991	+0.34°C	+0.33°C	+0.35°C	33

Rank 503 of all 1760 months on record. Temperatures are anomalies vs the 1951–1980 average (NASA GISTEMP v4); values can be revised later.