UPDATE: The author’s (Lorne Gunter) claim of breaking the all time March record by -12 degrees is only partially correct. The phrase “smashing the previous March low” should have read “smashing the previous March 10th low”. Mr. Gunter erred in his statement.
The official all time March record Tmin occurred in 2003 and was -42.2°C details here from Environment Canada (Thanks to reader K Stricker for the link).
UPDATE#2: 3/18 I’ve sent off a note to Mr. Gunter on the error in the article, and I’m hoping that he will post a correction to the wording in his article below. I have not yet heard back from him and I’m trying an alternate contact route via another person known to have corresponded with him. Gunter’s mistake is that he claims a new low temperature record for the entire Month of March, when it is only for a single day, March 10th. While I can’t correct the text in Mr. Gunter’s article until he makes a correction himself (since I won’t modify another authors words) reader should take note that the claims made in the article are not supported by the actual data. While I agree that “global warming” has indeed stalled in the last few years, the claim of the all time March low for Edmonton is incorrect. – Anthony
Global warming’s no longer happening
So why are eco types moaning about record highs while ignoring record lows?
By Lorne Gunter, The Edmonton Journal
So far this month, at least 14 major weather stations in Alberta have recorded their lowest-ever March temperatures. I’m not talking about daily records; I mean they’ve recorded the lowest temperatures they’ve ever seen in the entire month of March since temperatures began being recorded in Alberta in the 1880s.
This past Tuesday, Edmonton International Airport reported an overnight low of -41.5 C, smashing the previous March low of -29.4 C set in 1975. Records just don’t fall by that much, but the airport’s did. Records are usually broken fractions of degrees. The International’s was exceeded by 12 degrees.
To give you an example of how huge is the difference between the old record and the new, if Edmonton were to exceed its highest-ever summer temperature by the same amount, the high here some July day would have to reach 50 C. That’s a Saudi Arabia-like temperature.
Also on the same day, Lloydminster hit -35.2 C, breaking its old March record of -29.2 C. Fort McMurray — where they know cold — broke a record set in 1950 with a reading of -39.9C. And Cold Lake, Slave Lake, Whitecourt, Peace River, High Level, Jasper and Banff, and a handful of other communities obliterated old cold values, most from the 1950s or 1970s, two of the coldest decades on record in the province.
This has been an especially cold winter across the country, with values returning to levels not often seen since the 1970s, which was an especially brutal decade of winters.
Temperatures began to plummet on the Prairies in December. The cold weather did not hit much of the rest of the country until January, but when it hit, it hit hard. Even against Canada’s normally frigid January standards, “this particular cold snap is noteworthy,” Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson said this past January. Many regions across the country had not been as cold for 30 years or more, he added.
Does this prove fear of global warming is misplaced? On its own, probably not. But if records were being broken the other way — if several Alberta centres had recorded their warmest-ever March values — you can bet there would be no end of hand-wringing, horror stories about how we were on the precipice of an ecological disaster of unprecedented proportions.
Environmentalists, scientists who advance the warming theory, politicians and reporters never shy away from hyping those weather stories that support their beliefs. But they tend to ignore or explain away stories that might cast doubt.
In 2005, the summer and fall of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, when several major ‘canes pummelled North and Central America, we were told again and again that this was proof warming was happening and it was going to be bad. Al Gore has emissions from industrial smokestacks swirling up into a satellite image of a hurricane on the DVD box for his propaganda film An Inconvenient Truth to underline the point that more and eviller hurricanes will be the result of CO2 output.
But since 2005, only one major hurricane — this year’s Ike — has struck North America. And now comes a study from Florida State University researcher Ryan Maue, that shows worldwide cyclonic activity — typhoons, as well as hurricanes — has reached a 30-year low (tinyurl.com/bunynz).
Indeed, the hiatus may go back more than 30 years because it is difficult to compare records before about 1970 with those since, since measurements four or more decades ago were not as precise or thorough. Current low activity may actually be the lowest in 50 years or more.
If Maue had proven hurricane activity were at a 30-year high, of course his findings would have been reported far and wide. But since he is challenging the dogma of the Holy Mother Church of Climate Change, his research is ignored.
For at least the past five or six years, global temperatures have been falling. Look at the black trend line on the chart at www.drroyspencer.com/latest-global-temperatures/ put out by the man who runs NASA’s worldwide network of weather satellites.
Also, in the past few months, two studies — one by the Leibniz Institute of Marine Science and the Max Planck Institute of Meteorology in Germany and another by the University of Wisconsin — have shown a slowing, or even a reversal of warming for at least the next 10 to 20, and perhaps longer.
Even the Arctic sea ice, which has replaced hurricanes as the alarm of the moment ever since hurricanes ceased to threaten, has grown this winter to an extent not seen since around 1980.
Global warming is not only no longer happening, it is not likely to resume until 2025 or later, if then. So why are we continuing to hear so much doomsaying about climate change?
There are a lot of people in every age who think they know better than everyone else and, therefore, have a right to tell everyone how to live. In the 1950s, it was country-club and parish council busybodies with their strict moral codes. In the 1970s, it was social democrats with their fanciful economic theories. Today, it’s environmentalists.
Same instinct, different wrapper.
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Anthony, please *do* continue posting articles like this one to WUWT. I think it is essential that we read and discuss what is actually being reported. We are all learning to say, “Hey, what’s up with that?!” You’re doing a magnificent job of increasing awareness and understanding; I learn something new from WUWT every day. No docile sheep here! Thank you for sharing your time, wisdom, and humor.
I think temperature records are always related to the same day of the month or year in the past at least that’s how it gets reported around here.
We had unusually warm weather the first week of November and you should have seen the media frenzy pointing out the unusual warm weather over and over again with polls on there web pages asking the public if they think its related to GW or not.
I didn’t see a poll in the media in recent days asking people if GW is no longer happening.
It’s kinda like the “’90s were warmest decade in the 20th century and we will never admit that the ’30s were! So there!”
Lorne Gunter’s a hack and a windbag. I take anything he says or writes with a huge grain of salt, regardless of the topic.
Sadly, the Edmonton Journal is my daily read as I live in the hinterland outside Edmonton.
And I will say that I find the unwillingness of winter to recede and conceded to spring this year a bit depressing. Right now, the sun is hot enough to melt the (vast amounts of) snow, even at an air temperature of -10 C. Something is screwy and I’m tired of shovelling snow. I want it to melt, already.
MattB (04:57:34) :
Seriously this is a GOLD MEDAL mistake and one I hope the blogosphere crucifies.”
Please come down off your high horse for a moment – do you get so worked up about any incorrect reported and exaggerations that pass for the MSM’s daily rubbish on AGW? No, I didn’t think so.
And it is not a gold medal mistake, its not even on the first page of results.
You will notice that Anthony has posted an update correction, something most media outlets don’t bother with. And it was still a record low for that day despite your vitriolic attitude.
Well here wishing ya’ll an “AGW” version of the Irish blessing.
Pretty hilarious and worth repeated again and again. PAMELA GRAY gets the credit:
AGW Irish Wish
May the seas fall to leave you high and dry.
May the wind always blow up your skirt and chill your cheeks.
May sun shine…okay, forget sun shine… the snow fall soft into your dread locks,
…and until we meet again,
may Gaiai (or whatever the hell her name is),
hold your feet to the icecube for mocking her.
Ha ha ha Pamela I had to post it thanks again.
Chris
Norfolk, VA
OK….back to topic….agreed on what Neil Crafter wrote above. Anthony made a correction as soon as he learned so what is the big deal?? Still shows record cold.
Chris could you imagine the lampooning here if a warmist site ran a major headline because such and such was the warmest October 2, or the warmest 9:30 on the second thursday after Easter…. it is a meaningless record… totally meaningless. The article ONLY got a run here because it claimed a total March record by a staggeringly large amount… and that turned out to be bulldust, and Whatzits insistance on still running with it with a minor correction that still suggests it is a meaningful record, AFTER being prompted, exposes him as a fraud IMO.
Matt…..Interesting point and I see how the bias can affect it….but not “totally meaningless” as you say.
No the Alberta readings are still indicator of cooling….no matter how benign as compared to the original report (Ask anyone who has had to endure this winter there).
And if the PDO has its way over the next few years in the same region…it is not going to get any better.
So we will see and time will tell. But I see your point….yet such discrepancies do not expose anybody as a fraud….just missing the mark a bit
It is not all or nothing. There are degrees to everything. And failing to recognize those degrees are the twin achilles heels of the AGW movement or the reverse.
The truth is somewhere in between (but not close at all to Al Gore or James Hansen views….at all…LOL).
Chris
Norfolk, VA
Could someone please explain the meaning of the following, if this was only a record for March 10?
http://www.climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climateData/almanac_e.html?timeframe=1&Prov=XX&StationID=1865&Year=2009&Month=3&Day=10
Looks like a record low for the month of March? Admittedly by a mere 0.5 degree, and may be changed in the future, as “Data for this day has undergone only preliminary quality checking”
MattB
I don’t suppose calling the proprietor of this website “a fraud” is a very nice thing. I am very surprised that got through the moderators and I would like to call their attention to it. Perhaps you might like to take your particular brand of vitriol to another website where the proprietor meets your lofty standards of ethical behaviour.
And who exactly are you to do that hiding behind the anonymity of your chosen moniker? The courage of your convictions? At least be prepared to back it up using your full name.
And a record is a record, regardless of whether it is for a day or a month. If you were there in Edmonton maybe you would not consider it “totally meaningless”. You might think it was bloody cold though, regardless of your point of view.
Reply: We allow vitriol to a point and as moderators we try and stay neutral. ~ charles the moderator
Matt – quit flogging a dead horse. The mistake was pointed out and corrected. The issue of anecdotal reports of cooling events has been discussed here before, and they are somewhat controversial. However, the evidence of a cooling trend is mounting. And no, a cooling trend by itself does not refute AGW, but it is one factor among many that do.
Unfortunately, your comments, particularly those denigrating Anthony do not put you in a good light here, and brand you as an ideologue. Perhaps you can redeem yourself on one of the other, more science-based topics, but I rather doubt you will.
I simply put it to you that this website would not have bothered posting a link to a report in the Edmonton Journal that had “March 10 colder in Edmonton than March 10 has ever been, but not as cold as it has been before on other days in March” as its headline.
The correction of a reputable science based skeptic would have been “Correction: It appears that the headline of this article was sensationalist and false – it is a pity because I don’t think we need such headlines to make the scientific argument against warming. Sorry we got caught out this time, clearly the type of record set is meaningless in terms of global warming or cooling trends.”
Maybe “fraud” is a bit harsh… but Mr Watts still has a chance to ‘fess up with a more accurate correction.
And as for vitriolic… hardly:) I’m simply trying to hold the “Best Science Blog of the Year” winner to account. The lofty standards are clearly his own… it is the Best Science Blog? Am I expecting too much from the “Best Science Blog”… I think not.
And as for anonymous.. sorry I’ve just always been MattB for years on blogs and forums… a quick google would probably link to who I am if you could be bothered… not that it would mean much? Does my anonymity make the issue at hand any different?
My guess is the moderators can see how close they are sailing to the wind with this whole thread, and probably agree with me;)
And just to flog the dead horse one more time…
I note the “correction” states “The previous March record Tmin occurred in 2003 and was -42.2°C”
Erm no… that is STILL the record, not the “previous” record. Sentence should read “The March Record is -42.2 decC” or am I too picky on the “Best Science Blog”?
now here is a newsworthy record from 2008:
“Alberta-Wide Scorcher
Scorching heat shot the mercury up to an all-time record high of 35.6°C at Edmonton International Airport on August 18, eclipsing the previous all-time daily high of 35.3°C, set on August 5, 1998.” and that is Edmonton wide!
http://www.ec.gc.ca/doc/smc-msc/2008/r4_eng.html
From the same site but “top weather stories for 2007”:
“Edmonton International Airport recorded its highest average July temperature at 18.4°C, eclipsing the high mark set only last year.”
wow where was this hack journo then?
MattB,
Where are you now?
You can believe the IPCC all you want; you can select one particular time in one location and pretend that global temperatures are increasing.
But they’re not. The’re falling, and not just a little bit, or over a short time frame: click
Global warming is a fantasy, promoted by grant-seeking opportunists and constantly repeated by the gullible.
why would you be interested in Jan – Oct if you were looking at long term temps?
What pray tell just what does your post have to do with the FACT that the linked Edmonton Journal article is just making stuff up, and most likely deliberatively false.
If you are not appalled by the articles blatant inaccuracies… then I suggest you are not a sceptic.
And since you asked I’m in Perth, Australia.
Perhaps the following table will illustrate how much cooling has taken place during the past several winters in the Edmonton region or the NORTHWESTERN FOREST region as used by ENVIORNMENT CANADA. Figures are comparison to the 1948-2009 trend and cover the months of december, january and february only
2006 winter-2 nd warmest [+6.5c]
2007 winter-10 th warmest[+3.7c]
2008 winter – 36 th warmest [+0.6C]
2009 winter-42 nd warmest [-0.6C]
For comparison 1972 was the second coldest at [-4.5C]
1950 was the coldest winter at {-5.5C]
All these are during years when PDO was NEGATIVE or in the cool phase
The message here is that we are not yet experiencing record cold for the entire winer for the entire region but as the PDO extends for 20-30 years, we may. Currently we are already having isolated records lasting shorter periods only as posted by Gunter.
All you folks who are so fond of talking about “average” temperatures don’t know what you are talking about. In a dynamic system such as the Earth’s climate, such terms are meaningless. It’s like saying “the average speed of all automobiles on the planet is 57.4 km/h.” Which cars are you timing? Do you time the ones in parking lots? Do you time the ones traveling at midnight vs those stuck in traffic jams in Manhattan?
If you are going to talk “average” you need to be very specific as to what average means AND how it is calculated. Hint: The average speed of a car traveling at 40 km/h for an hour and then 60 km/h for the next hour is not 50 km/h.
There is absolutely no way anyone can know what the average temperature of the Earth is. And then, there is the other issue of, even if we do know what the average temperature is, what SHOULD the average temperature be? Should it never vary from that average?
JFrykman (12:09:13)
>If you are going to talk “average” you need to be very specific as to what average means AND how it is calculated. Hint: The average speed of a car traveling at 40 km/h for an hour and then 60 km/h for the next hour is not 50 km/h.
Perhaps you should read your own problem statement. If you travel at 40km/h for one hour, and 60km/h for one hour, you will travel 100km in 2 hours, or 50km/h.
However, if you travel 120km at 40km/h and 120km at 60km/h, you will have traveled 240km in 5 hours, or a 48km/h average. This is a quite different problem statement from yours.
Matt v that is global warming for you…. the blogosphere erupts when in fact there have been 18 colder winters since 1948.
mattB
You have again misunderstood the data posted.
No one is claiming that the entire 2008-2009 winter in the Edmonton or Nothern Alberta region was the coldest ever. All we are saying is that some short term cold records are already being broken now in this regions.My previous post clearly showed that global warming has stopped for the last two years regionally in this area. [ also in Canda and globally i might add ]. The temperature anomaly dropped from +6.5C in 2006 to -0.6 in 2009 a drop of 7.1 degrees for the entire winter . There is no global warming here ? We could very well during the next decade in Alberta reach even colder temperatures like those in1972 and 1950 which were 5C lower than 2009 for the entire winter
[snip- I’m not interested in your opinions after your rant about me taking the post down a few minutes for editing. An apology from you would be in order first. When Mr. Gunter posts a correction I’ll make it known here, until then I think it is quite clear – Anthony]
Sure I do apologise if I have offended you Anthony. it may be wordplay but I was actually challenging you to be brave and honest – I had no idea you were compelled to remove blog posts to edit them, or might have expected that if a post was mid-edit you could easily put in red “BLOG BEING UPDATED” at the top.
Sure I may have been being a bit of a smart ass at times… but if you don;t keep a tab on articles like this you risk becoming less credible than I have the feeling you would like.
The Edmonton article is bulldust and makes up a sensationalist headline to grab blog attention. “Edmonton has 3rd coldest say in 48 years” is a headline worthy of a local rag as a point of interest.
REPLY: When I edit in the evening, I often take posts offline because I have young children about, and sometimes I am pulled away from the computer for several minutes or longer. I’ve been burnt before by the autosave feature of WordPress putting up a half edited post. Putting it offline in these conditions prevents an incomplete presentation, but risks overreaction from people like yourself that are looking for changes. Catch-22. No more edits will be made until I hear from Mr. Gunter. I have a new email address for him so hopefully that will be soon. Feel free to discuss anything else on any other part of the blog until then. – Anthony