Press Release
March 10, 2009
Temperatures for winter, December 2008 – February 2009, across the contiguous United States were near average, based on records dating back to 1895, according to a preliminary analysis by scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. For February 2009 alone, the average temperature was above the long-term average.
High resolution (Credit: NOAA)
Winter Temperature Highlights
- The December 2008 – February 2009 average temperature was 33.49 degrees F, which is 0.53 degree F above normal.
- On a regional basis, temperatures were warmer than average across the southern tier states and central Rockies, while the upper Midwest, Great Lakes, Maine, and Washington had a cooler-than-average winter.
- Based on NOAA’s Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index, the contiguous U.S. temperature-related energy demand was 0.4 percent above average during winter.
High resolution (Credit: NOAA)
February Temperature Highlights
- The average February temperature of 36.9 degrees F was 2.3 degrees F above the 20th century average.
- February temperatures were above average across much of the country. Only parts of the Southeast, Northwest, and West experienced near-normal temperatures.
- Oklahoma and Texas had their ninth and 10th, respectively, warmest February. Florida was the only state to experience a cooler-than-average temperature for the month.
- The contiguous U.S. temperature-related energy demand was 4.1 percent below average in February.
High resolution (Credit: NOAA)
Winter Precipitation Highlights
- The United States experienced its fifth driest December-February period on record. Texas had its driest winter ever and the Southeast experienced its 10th driest winter. Only the East-North-Central region (Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) had precipitation averages that were above normal.
- Twelve states (in the southern Plains, Southeast, and Northeast) had their 10th driest, or drier, January-February period in the 1895-2009 record.
February Precipitation Highlights
High resolution (Credit: NOAA)
- Precipitation across the contiguous United States in February averaged 1.40 inches, which is 0.62 inch below the 1901-2000 average and tied with February 1954 as the eighth driest February on record.
- Much of the country received below-average precipitation, resulting in the eighth driest February for the contiguous U.S. It was especially dry in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, where New Jersey and Delaware had their driest February on record.
- At the end of February, 24 percent of the contiguous United States was in moderate-to-exceptional drought, based on the U.S. Drought Monitor. Severe-to-extreme drought conditions continued in the western Carolinas, northeast Georgia, the southern Plains, and parts of California and Hawai’i, with exceptional drought in southern Texas.
- About 20 percent of the contiguous United States had moderately-to-extremely wet conditions at the end of February, according to the Palmer Index (a well-known index that measures both drought intensity and wet spell intensity). This is about three percent less than at the end of January.
Other Highlights
High resolution (Credit: NOAA)
- January-February 2009 was the driest, first two month-period in the 1895-2009 record for the contiguous United States. Precipitation across the nation averaged 2.69 inches for January-February.
- NOAA satellite observations of snow cover extent showed 6.7 million square miles of North America were covered by snow in February 2009, which is 0.1 million square miles above the 1966-2009 average of 6.6 million square miles.
NCDC’s preliminary reports, which assess the current state of the climate, are released soon after the end of each month. These analyses are based on preliminary data, which are subject to revision. Additional quality control is applied to the data when late reports are received several weeks after the end of the month and as increased scientific methods improve NCDC’s processing algorithms.
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Brian Johnson (07:05:17) :
Pen Hadow, Arctic “Explorer” is moving backwards while walking forwards to the North Pole. Actually getting much closer to his start point on Day 12 than he was on Day 6. BBC is giving plenty of coverage on a daily basis.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7897392.stm
Brian this is Monty Python at its best!!!!
“We have been battered by wind, bitten by frost and bruised from falls on the ice. ”
This is the Arctic how unfortunate to get wind and frost.
Poor wee soles have got bruised. Oh dear.
“you’ve slogged for a day and then wake up the next morning having drifted back to where you started. ”
Guess they did not do any homework.
That is what ice does it drifts, and when you are at the North Pole it can only drift in one direction. They should have set off from somewhere else or somewhere warmer.
Poor wee lost soles.
“The Arctic sea ice is constantly moving, breaking open and reforming into different shapes”
What a surprise??
The poor wee soles computer model obviously only showed trends.
“The wind chill today will slice us up – it’s taking the temperature down to below -50C”
What a swine, -50C at the North Pole at the end of winter, how unexpected.
Poor wee cold soles.
“so we have decided to take a day’s rest to recharge our batteries and soothe the aches and pains. ”
Oh dear, to soooooooooooothe the aches and pains. My heat bleats.
Oh yes and to rest up for a day on the same drifting ice that is he says, “drifted back to where you started. ”
Poor wee demented soles.
What are the odds on what is left of them being airlifted off the ice on 1st April?
Yet to re-appear with significant data which shows that the Arctic is warming and the ice is in a worse condition than they had previously thought.
I cannot wait until tomorrow so that I can read the next thrilling instalment.
@Richard Dupuis Ballard (19:49:32) :
“NOAA also calculates heating days for the EIA. They use 1971-2000 as “normal” for that series. They also show 8% more heating days for ‘09 than ‘08 for January. It would be even more had … it not been so toasty on the Pacific Coast in January.”
Thanks for the link on heating degree days by month.
Here in Los Angeles, we are compensating for that toasty January, with cooler February and (thus far) cooler March. (see first link below) Very interesting, especially since March 2008 was much warmer than what we have experienced thus far. But, this is not mentioned in the news, as far as I can tell. (see second link below, for 2008 March temp data for Los Angeles).
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/climate/temp_graphs.php?wfo=lox
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/climate/temp_graphs.php?wfo=lox&stn=KCQT&year=2008
Our weather-gurus are predicting unseasonably cool temperatures until next Monday. But, another cold front with rain is about to smack Seattle WA again, (at least it is not snow this time). We may get more cooling and rain from that system if it progresses this far south.
Roger
B Kerr (12:41:53) :
This is like that group that tried to kayak to the pole last year. Of course they picked the side that had the most ice and didn’t get anywhere. It looks like this group didn’t look to see what the ice flows were doing before they picked their route.
Sorry I missed the best quote which I should have included in my previous post.
Are you ready for it?
“What a weird feeling – here we are floating on the ice in the Arctic, and I’ve just had a chat with International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander and over 300 people in the audience at the Department for International Development conference on world poverty, which is being held in London. ”
“I’m really pleased it all worked and I hear that Gordon Brown turned up to round off just after my call. ”
I am not making any comment.
I am far to polite.
BarryW (12:54:46) :
This is like that group that tried to kayak to the pole last year.
Yes but they had a success as they had kayaked further north than any one else before.
Guess the Inuit have never used kayaks and have never travelled north.
The team did speak to Gordon Brown.
Is there a trend here?
So PDO negative, major solar minimum-when do the winter temps fall to those we saw back 30 years ago in the last neg PDO? Aren’t we getting on into this PDO shift?
Well, you have to consider that from 1976 – 2001 all of the “big six” (PDO, IPO, AMO, NAO, AO, AAO) switched from cold to warm phase, one by one. As of yet, only the PDO has reverted (though the AO and the NOA are showing signs of it). So there is a lot to swing, yet.
A normal solar minimum only swings things by 0.1C. until and unless a Grand Minimum clicks in, which hasn’t happened yet), the sun delta (sic) won’t be a prime driver. We’ll have to wait and see about that.
Bob S[16:45:25]
Could you identify which B.C. Canadian papers carried the article ” Extreme B.C. winters could become the norm: climatologists say” on March 10
Barry W
Pugh kayaked further north than anyone before? Have you never heard of Nansen-who probably didnt have support boats equipped with all the latest aids.
Tonyb
matt v
I don’t have a list of which papers carried the article on extreme B.C. winters. The Kamloops Daily News did. Since the Canadian Press is the major wire service in the country, I imagine many others did as well. CP might be able to tell you who carried it. Or I suppose with some digging you could find out if a specific paper carried the article.
Bob s
I did confirm that the Kamloops Daily News carried the article. They sent me an e-mail to confirm. The reason I could not find it on the internet is that they do not archive their past editions on line . You have to apply to the local library. Thanks for posting the important article as it confirmed what many of us have been saying and two of the authors at the recent HEARTLAND Conference further confirmed that PDO really does affect our cimate
A perspective regarding the globqal warming issue…..the area of the United States is only 1.8% of the global surface area (land and water).
My prediction is that the Gore-acular dupe-poop will continue. IF we get a warmer Summer, the first indication of it will send AGW-freaks into yet more spasms of Obasmic self-satisfaction.
Should reality ever regain its position of prominence in evidence, a new generation will defy the traditional fixations of old. And then, maybe, we all shall have another independent chance for reason — instead of the inbred necessity for control.
As I write, the white flakes are falling thickly on the dark, foreboding Ides of March …
… on VI, though daffodils grow, row on row.
Oh one other thing for the “it felt colder” types: There is such a thing as “wind chill” which means NOTHING in terms of actual measured temps. It is simply a “measure” of the PERCEIVED temperature which turns out to be quite a bit lower in windy conditions (mostly because the warmed boundary layer of air on your skin keeps getting blown away.
The actual temperature is not lower, only your PERCEPTION of it.
So, if THAT can happen, how can you be sure that your current PERCEPTION is in anyway a physical reality and no t just more [snip]
Well, how you tell is MEASURE it, and guess what NOAA found when they did?
Reply: I’ll let this one through with slight edit, but behave and you can post here all you like. Continued ranting will simply be deleted ~ charles the moderator
Well, thank you for allowing at least part of my “rant” through. Of course I’m not surprised you would have refused the rest that thoroughly destroyed your “case”.
Oh well if you can’t win a fair fight, I guess cheating is your best option!
REPLY: Cheating? For snipping boorish language? I think not. Off to the troll bin with you then. – Anthony, blog owner
I can only provide anecdotal evidence and some limited temperature readings, but up and down the east coast the US and Canada, this was a much cooler winter than we’ve had in the past.
Lakes were frozen solid in New Brunswick and Maine, the first time I saw that in quite a while. Here in southern Virginia, we had cold spells long enough to put a thin layer of ice on the lakes, which is an extreme rarity. Aside from a couple of warm spells, this is one of the coldest and longest winters I can remember. As of March 24, we are still having overnight temperatures below freezing.
I’ve also noticed that winters here (with the exception of 04-05) have been longer and colder than during the 1990s, but not quite as cold and snowy as the early 1980s.