May temperatures up in much of the world

Global temperatures in May were the second warmest for the month on record, the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration reported.

The second warmest since record keeping began in 1880, May 2012 was also the 36th consecutive May and 327th consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20th century average, NOAA said.

Warmer-than-average monthly temperatures were experienced in most areas of the world including nearly all of Europe, Asia, northern Africa, most of North America and southern Greenland, NOAA said, with only Australia, Alaska and parts of the western U.S.-Canadian border region cooler than average.

The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for May was 59.79 degrees Fahrenheit, 1.19 degrees above the 20th century average, NOAA reported.

With the dissipation of La Nina in April, Pacific Ocean conditions in May were neutral, but NOAA's Climate Prediction Center said there is a 50 percent chance that El Nino conditions will emerge during the second half of 2012.

In addition to influencing seasonal climate in the United States, El Nino is often associated with global temperatures that are higher than temperatures in the neutral and La Nina phases, NOAA said.