I’m sure the press will make this into a much bigger story. This today from NOAA News. The choice of “hottest” in the title is interesting. We should ask our Canadian friends if it was “hot” during March, since Canada seems to be leading the world in “hotness” according to the NOAA image. – Anthony
NOAA: Global Temps Push Last Month to Hottest March on Record
The world’s combined global land and ocean surface temperature made last month the warmest March on record, according to NOAA. Taken separately, average ocean temperatures were the warmest for any March and the global land surface was the fourth warmest for any March on record. Additionally, the planet has seen the fourth warmest January – March period on record.
The monthly National Climatic Data Center analysis, which is based on records going back to 1880, is part of the suite of climate services NOAA provides government, business and community leaders so they can make informed decisions.
Global Temperature Highlights – March 2010
Temperature anomaly is the difference from average, which gives a more accurate picture of temperature change. In calculating average regional temperatures, factors like station location or elevation affect the data, but those factors are less critical when looking at the difference from the average.
High resolution (Credit: NOAA/National Climatic Data Center/NESDIS)
- The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for March 2010 was the warmest on record at 56.3°F (13.5°C), which is 1.39°F (0.77°C) above the 20th century average of 54.9°F (12.7°C).
- The worldwide ocean surface temperature was the highest for any March on record –1.01°F (0.56°C) above the 20th century average of 60.7°F (15.9°C).
- Separately, the global land surface temperature was 2.45°F (1.36°C) above the 20th century average of 40.8 °F (5.0°C) — the fourth warmest on record. Warmer-than-normal conditions dominated the globe, especially in northern Africa, South Asia and Canada. Cooler-than-normal regions included Mongolia and eastern Russia, northern and western Europe, Mexico, northern Australia, western Alaska and the southeastern United States.
- El Niño weakened to moderate strength in March, but it contributed significantly to the warmth in the tropical belt and the overall ocean temperature. According to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, El Niño is expected to continue its influence in the Northern Hemisphere at least through the spring.
- For the year-to-date, the combined global land- and ocean-surface temperature of 55.3°F (13.0°C) was the fourth warmest for a January-March period. This value is 1.19°F (0.66°C) above the 20th century average.
- According to the Beijing Climate Center, Tibet experienced its second warmest March since historical records began in 1951. Delhi, India also had its second warmest March since records began in 1901, according to the India Meteorological Department.
Other Highlights
Download additional information and resources.
Download PDF (Credit: NOAA/National Climatic Data Center/NESDIS)
- Arctic sea ice covered an average of 5.8 million square miles (15.1 million square kilometers) during March. This is 4.1 percent below the 1979-2000 average expanse, and the fifth-smallest March coverage since records began in 1979. Ice coverage traditionally reaches its maximum in March, and this was the 17th consecutive March with below-average Arctic sea ice coverage. This year the Arctic sea ice reached its maximum size on March 31st, the latest date for the maximum Arctic sea ice extent since satellite records began in 1979.
- Antarctic sea ice expanse in March was 6.9 percent below the 1979-2000 average, resulting in the eighth smallest March ice coverage on record.
- In China, the Xinjiang province had its wettest March since records began in 1951, while Jilin and Shanghai had their second wettest March on record. Meanwhile, Guangxi and Hainan provinces in southern China experienced their driest March on record, according to the Beijing Climate Center.
- Many locations across Ontario, Canada received no snow, or traces of snow, in March, which set new low snowfall records, according to Environment Canada.
Scientists, researchers, and leaders in government and industry use NOAA’s monthly reports to help track trends and other changes in the world’s climate. This climate service has a wide range of practical uses, from helping farmers know what and when to plant, to guiding resource managers with critical decisions about water, energy and other vital assets.
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the oceans to surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.
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Here in SE Minnesota March was definitely well above average. I don’t recall hearing anyone here utter a single complaint.
Northern Hemisphere covered with red, arctic ice back to average.
They are just taking the piss now.
I assume their data was independently quality audited?
Ever heard of the Data Quality Act 2001? It requires federal agencies, their contractors, and their grantees to provide only data that is audited for accuracy.
Prevents cooking the books.
It was okay. Wasn’t “hot”. And I recall, in my lifetime, many Marches, even Februaries, that were comparable.
Well, that’s it then, obviously we’re all doomed….
Im saying it was just a strange weather pattern this winter. Considering we had a foot+ of snow here in Arkansas Mid-March. It was fun though, kinda a last screw you! from winter. I had already installed the summer only tires on my car that day =/. The drive to work…well never happened I got stuck in the driveway… *sigh*
Actually, yes. Here in Alberta we saw a warm March. The snow seemed to melt very fast this year.
The last month or so has been unusually warm in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. This is just north of Minnesota. Given that this part of the country has long cold winters and is known for its late springs, we are enjoying the warmth. Long may it reign!
Both poles have well below normal ice, but the total of the two poles is normal.
http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/IMAGES/global.daily.ice.area.withtrend.jpg
Must be the new math.
Hot button cold button. You ever fight with a family member over setting the thermostat? That’s the analogy. It has become a pathetic issue these temperature wars fought in virtual space where nothing manifests more than data streams. Sound and fury…
At some point you really have to ask yourself “are they just making this [self-snip] up or what?”
Sure it was… FWIW, I’ve made a “canonical set of anomaly graphs” for the planet:
http://chiefio.wordpress.com/2010/04/11/the-world-in-dtdt-graphs-of-temperature-anomalies/
The number one “takeway” from looking at all of them was that there is some kind of processing change in the late 1980’s early 1990’s that accounts for all the “Warming”. Probably related to this:
http://chiefio.wordpress.com/2010/04/11/qa-or-tossing-data-you-decide/
Interesting enough, if you plot the cumulative anomaly by months only (not averaging over years) you get some months “warming” and some months “cooling”…
http://chiefio.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/dmtdt-climate-change-by-the-monthly-anomaly/
So they will have to show that any MONTHLY trend means something about the world in general…
Yawn. Here in southwestern Alberta it has been a rather typical El Nino winter, more or less like all the other El Nino winters I have experienced in the >30 years I have lived here. That and about $1.25 (I think) will get you a cup of coffee. Unless you visit my office, I don’t charge.
the entire month of March was quite unseasonably cold here in Northern Nevada if that helps.
never say die…
16 April: WaPo: Steven Pearlstein: Congress worked out health care. Is climate change next?
Now, thanks to the heroic efforts of two dogged senators — Democrat John Kerry and Republican Lindsey Graham — and the quiet support of the White House, there looks to be a 50-50 chance the Senate will pass a simpler and more moderate version of a bill this year that would begin to substantially reduce carbon emissions in the United States..
While there are still some details to be ironed about, there is a good chance that the bill will gain the support of oil giants BP, Shell and ConocoPhillips, along with major electric utilities and industrial corporations. There’s even a chance the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Petroleum Institute, heretofore implacable foes of climate legislation, will take a neutral stand on the Senate bill now that so many of their concerns have been addressed and so many of their members find the measure acceptable. ..
In the end, if Congress is unable to do something about global warming, it won’t be because of the opposition of “special interests,” but rather because of ideological zealots and Republican partisans who are determined to deny Democrats another victory, even at the cost of a planetary environmental disaster.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/15/AR2010041505755.html?hpid=topnews
Hmm. They wrote, “According to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, El Niño is expected to continue its influence in the Northern Hemisphere at least through the spring.”
That wording is odd. Are they implying that the El Nino won’t be having an effect on the Southern Hemisphere this austral fall?
Also, since when does NCDC have complete coverage of Africa, Asia, Australia and South America?
GISS Warmest month ever in Finland!!!!!!!!!!!
http://climateaudit.org/2010/04/15/giss-warmest-march-ever-in-finland/
Nope, here in the Fraser Valley in BC it was pretty much average and normal.
Ain’t it funny. When the ocean is warm, the atmosphere is warm. Hmmmm.
Must be CO2.
Now, was that ocean lag Wunsch talked 900 minutes or years? Oh yes, years. Hmmm. Dang that CO2 again.
This is the first year in a long time that we have actually had somewhat of a spring. A rather dry spring but the temperature has been mild for once. Last several years it has been going from 20F to about 85F in the span of a couple of weeks.
Went to a storm spotter training class in Feb and they stated it was the first February that the state of Indiana has never seen a tornado. Usually we are reminded of how violent weather can be every couple of days. I rather enjoy the quietness coming from the civil defense siren a block away.
Not hot up here this March, just nice and warm compared to most. I could use a March like this every year and I’m sure the wildlife/farms/crops would love it too…with a little more rain to go with it, that is.
yes, march was wonderful in Western Washington USA. April, till this week was miserable. One hundred inches of snow since late march on one of the northern mountain passes.
The Met Office predicted warmer than actual 9 of the last 10 years. They were wrong of course 10 of 10 years. We are due 31 days above normal.
As I’ve attempted to point out on a number of occasions here, no one ever gets to experience climate, only weather. The past winter was a perfect example as vast parts of the NH had the kind of winter that hadn’t been seen for years, while the AMSU LT temps were almost constantly at or above 20 year highs. Whatever does transpire in the future climate, what you see for weather where you live will in all probability be well within the range it has occupied. Indeed, there appears to be significant evidence that the weather is actually getting less extreme as the climate has warmed.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/11/16/hall-of-record-ratios/#more-12867
Scroll to near the bottom of the post for the graph of Maximum and Minimum Monthly Records by Decade.
In Toronto, March was indeed very warm. We’ve had a couple of days above 20 degrees celsius. I’ve had the top down on the car for at least five days (of course, I drop the top when the sun is shining and it’s 14 celsius. Anecdotally, our snowbird neighbours have returned from Florida with far fewer skin lesions and much lighter complexions overall. In general, we had very little snow this winter.
I blame myself, I bought a new snowblower this year. I think there’s an 18 to 24 month no-snow amortization period when you make that kind of investment. 😉