Global climate trend since Nov. 16, 1978: +0.14 C per decade
March temperatures (preliminary)
Global composite temp.: +0.18 C (about 0.32 degrees Fahrenheit) above 30-year average for March.
Northern Hemisphere: +0.33 C (about 0.59 degrees Fahrenheit) above 30-year average for March.
Southern Hemisphere: +0.04 C (about 0.07 degrees Fahrenheit) above 30-year average for March.
Tropics: +0.22 C (about 0.40 degrees Fahrenheit) above 30-year average for March.
February temperatures (revised):
Global Composite: +0.18 C above 30-year average
Northern Hemisphere: +0.37 C above 30-year average
Southern Hemisphere: -0.02 C below 30-year average
Tropics: +0.17 C above 30-year average
(All temperature anomalies are based on a 30-year average (1981-2010) for the month reported.)
Notes on data released April 1, 2013:
UAH climate dataset offers new products
Two new climate ‘products’ will soon be available from the UAH temperature dataset, while a long standing product has been improved to make it more accurate, according to Dr. John Christy, a professor of atmospheric science and director of the Earth System Science Center at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. The “USA48” data, which tracks month-to-month temperature anomalies and the long-term climate trend over the contiguous 48 states, has been made more accurate by using a more precise tool for including the pieces of land adjacent to oceans.
The two new products are a USA49, which includes Alaska with the lower 48, and a listing for Australia, which includes Tasmania. Both of these new products will include temperature anomaly and trend data going back to the beginning of the UAH dataset in December 1978.
Compared to seasonal norms, during March the coldest area on the globe was in northeastern Russia, where the average temperature was as much as 6.49 C (about 11.7 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than seasonal norms. Looking at the global anomaly map also shows the eastern U.S. and central Canada becoming much cooler than normal in March.
Compared to seasonal norms, the “warmest” area on the globe in March was middle of the Davis Strait, between Greenland and Baffin Island. Temperatures there averaged 6.49 C (about 11.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than seasonal norms for March.
Archived color maps of local temperature anomalies are available on-line at:
The processed temperature data is available on-line at:
http://vortex.nsstc.uah.edu/data/msu/t2lt/uahncdc.lt
As part of an ongoing joint project between UAHuntsville, NOAA and NASA, John Christy, a professor of atmospheric science and director of the Earth System Science Center (ESSC) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, and Dr. Roy Spencer, an ESSC principal scientist, use data gathered by advanced microwave sounding units on NOAA and NASA satellites to get accurate temperature readings for almost all regions of the Earth. This includes remote desert, ocean and rain forest areas where reliable climate data are not otherwise available.
The satellite-based instruments measure the temperature of the atmosphere from the surface up to an altitude of about eight kilometers above sea level. Once the monthly temperature data is collected and processed, it is placed in a “public” computer file for immediate access by atmospheric scientists in the U.S. and abroad.
Neither Christy nor Spencer receives any research support or funding from oil, coal or industrial companies or organizations, or from any private or special interest groups. All of their climate research funding comes from federal and state grants or contracts.
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“temperature unchanged from February 2013”
That should read “anomaly unchanged”. The temperature is definitely different.
Kasuha says:
April 2, 2013 at 6:26 am
“temperature unchanged from February 2013″
That should read “anomaly unchanged”. The temperature is definitely different.
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Not round here it hasn’t. Into our 3rd month now of temps running below the Jan / Feb average and not much sign of a change yet!
The lack of any anomaly in the east Pacific says El Nino/La Nina was pretty much “neutral”.
I see sine waves everywhere. Must be my Greek ancestry.
If year-on-year seasonal averages in large areas can routinely shift by +/- 6.49 degrees C, can someone explain why we are supposed to get our undies in a bunch about a (purported) 2 degree rise in the next 90 years?
What about the 114 or so well sited stations? Did not catch February’s data.
I hope Alaska is not merged into the contiguous US: would be inappropriate and meaningless to do so.
I must admit, I am a little surprised that the globe still manages to produce a positive temperature anomaly. Everywhere people reside seems to be experiencing unusual cold. Our local April fools joke was subzero weather and about 2 ft of AGW snowfall. My truck is currently stuck at the end of my farm lane, and I must go fire up, the big JD, and get it the hell out. GK
Is this some kind of JOKE?
The Northern Hemisphere, you know that place where cold Records have been tumbling across the whole area, is “+0.33 C (about 0.59 degrees Fahrenheit) above 30-year average for March.”
What world do these Satellites revolve around, it certainly is not this Earth.
I have been saying it for quite a while now, the Lower Troposphere values bear no relationship with the reality that we experience, where is the CALIBRATION?
It will be interesting to see where this goes next. With neutral ENSO conditions for several months one might look at the current value as only slightly warmer than a true average. This would be due to the positive AMO. Since the AMO appears to have peaked the most likely movement from this point on is cooling.
In addition, the fact that the warming last month was mainly over oceans it’s fairly surprising that the Arctic sea ice has held up so well. With the winds currently favorable for less melting this summer’s minimum could significantly beat last year.
Man, what does March have to do to get respect! With the SH at -0.02C change and much of the Eurasian and N.America in frigid conditions – even the Japanese that had to take a boat trip to see arctic ice in the 1990s can just walk down to the shore in Hokkaido and see it in April 2013. We’re below zero in Ottawa today (ice “extent” reaches us but they blasted ice on the Rideau River two weeks ago) and a brief respite out west will turn again in the next day or two. I’m awfully suspicious of the high temps in the arctic.
http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/map/images/fnl/sfctmp_01.fnl.html
It’s still -20 to -25C over most of Greenland and below 0C from Hokkaido Japan through the Himalayas, Russia, Scandinavia, over almost all of Canada and halfway down the Central Plains of USA at the beginning of April. The thermometers must have fur coats on.
USA48 dropped from -.41 to -1.00
USA49 dropped from -.33 to -.87
Those are pretty big drops.
For the first time, I too question March’s result. Europe and the US were colder than normal. At my house, March was an average of almost 3 degrees F below “normal”.
Dr. Spencer would not falsify anything, but I really question the data he is forced to work with.
here in Houston it was reported that March temps were -1.8 degrees C below average. the chart above shows the area right on the -0.5 line
I think a few of the commenters here are falling into the “where I live is the world” trap.
While it is true that the Eastern US (and the UK) have had a frigid winter, here in Oregon it has been much warmer than usual – this past weekend it was 78 degrees! There has been perhaps one day when it snowed, and the number of days below freezing can be counted on one hand. it has been a remarkably mild winter.
Of course, with all of the US media based in NY, when it rains there its floods of biblical proportions hitting America!, when its warm, America sizzles in record temperatures, and a few flakes of snow is a sign of a new ice age.
Looking at the global map, the colder than normal areas are very tightly focussed over the high population centers of Europe and North America. Much of north Africa and central Asia shows marginally warmer than usual so the overall anomaly for the NH is based on the averaging.
For those people who are complaining, just wait until the situation is reversed and Europe N America is warm, but the NH anomaly is cooler. Then we will be hearing all the ‘end of the world’ scenarios again and we will need to remind people about this winter…..
I am no expert, but isn’t the reason behind the very cold European temps something about a blocking high pressure area pushing cold arctic air down? If so, that will ‘explain’ the warm spot (relative to seasonal norms don’t forget) around Greenland.
Oops, sorry Philip (Philip Peake, April 2, 2013 at 9:06 am),
Didn’t see your post before I posted mine – basically more of the same!
I’m not sure why some of you are questioning the data just because its been cold in Europe and North America. Just look at the map and you’ll see its been warm in northern Africa and a large portion of central Asia. This is the same backward thinking that alarmists use when heat records are being set in highly populated areas. They conveniently forget to look at the rest of the globe.
Over land areas, yes, but the UAH product also includes the ocean areas. A land only index might show a cold anomaly.
A C Osborne: Sea surface temperatures are still a bit above average globally and as the Earth’s surface is mostly ocean, one would expect this to raise the surface temperatures a bit:
http://bobtisdale.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/global-monthly.png
Just to add to the above comments Central England Temperatures for March -3c below average
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/hadcet/cet_info_mean.html
Keith Gordon
What would be interesting, given the warmer and more moist air is, the more “energy” it has, is if someone would look at the warming over the pole where it has least effect on the energy budget vs the cooling further south and the implications on the true “temp” of the earth. 5C warmer where its frigid has little meaning compared to 1C cooler where wet bulb might be 50 degree higher like over the gulf. Notice the warm areas are where its drier.. or where wet bulbs would naturally be lower ( arctic ,Africa, Asia)
I still think that this whole AGW idea is merely a distortion of the temperature pattern, a natural occurrence to a planet where more land is in the north than the south, and it wobbles on its axis. It seems inconceivable to me that a balance can ever be reached and the only true constant is change. If one steps back and understands what temperature is, a measure of energy, that there is no real change in this and its a matter of sloshing back and forth. That being said, the reduction of temps where the wet bulbs are higher should be the precursor to cooling in the coming decades where it has been warmer,IMHO
Philip Peake says: April 2, 2013 at 9:06 am, you jest surely, do you actually read about the rest of the northern hemisphere. Record breaking Cold in Germany, Japan, China and most of the rest of Asia, Record snow in Russia, this is not just about Eastern US and the UK.
Philip Peake says:
April 2, 2013 at 9:06 am
I think a few of the commenters here are falling into the “where I live is the world” trap. –
Obviously you have not.
On the plains here in Kansas the days are averaging about 15 degrees F below average per day. Why the map does not show it is beyond me.
I suspect it the way that the calculate the anomaly and I suspect it has a warm bias in it.
whether or naught weather is climate is not the issue, is it?
a normal temp that is -20 that is now -14 is a temp increase (on average).
The first diagram suggests that warming is ongoing since 2001 or so, am i missing something here?