North Atlantic Ocean temperature sets new record high: Report

North Atlantic sea surface temperature hits record high of 24.9°C, according to NOAA data.

The sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic has reached a new record high, according to preliminary data released Friday by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has been tracking since the early 1980s.

A surfer rides a wave at Unstad along the northern Atlantic Ocean. (Olivier Morin/AFP)

"Based on our analysis, the record-high average sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic Ocean is 24.9 degrees C," or 76.8 Fahrenheit, observed Wednesday, Xungang Yin, a scientist at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, told AFP.