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.
Longest winter for three decades = hot
Wondering Aloud (20:03:08) :
Except Dave Wendt…
It appears from the unfudged data that it hasn’t warmed. So your comments about milder weather or whatever due to warming is bunk.
The graph I referenced showed that the oughts had fewer monthly maxes and mins than any decade since the 1880s and the numbers declining severely from the 1980s. It is certainly possible to argue that there has been no warming at all over those timespans, but even with the numerous malfeasances exposed in the climate community, I think that’s a hard case to make.
Unseasonably cold in Tokyo at the moment, but this is just weather of course.
Don’t worry, according to GISS it is only the second warmest March on record – March 2002 was warmer.
And January 2007 was warmer.
But other than that, it is the third warmest month on record (since 1880).
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/tabledata/GLB.Ts+dSST.txt
So far, the year is much warmer than the two warmest years on record – 2007 and 2009.
How’s that Arctic sea ice coming along ? Dropping down towards Lowest Summer on Record again ?
http://nsidc.org/data/seaice_index/images/daily_images/N_stddev_timeseries.png
That’s a shame – some people said the March sea ice growth would be some sort of ‘tipping point’ back to normalcy.
bubbagyro (20:09:37) :
Yes, we remember the cold snaps down there.
Makes you wonder where NOAA’s head was in March.
Temperature anomaly is the difference from average, which gives a more accurate picture of temperature change.
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.
Any truth in this, particularly the last sentence, or is the anomaly a convenient amplification of change ?
Looking under one of the red dots in Northern California, specifically Grass Valley, CA Temperatures. The 1966-2009 averages for Grass Valley:
Max is 57.8
Min is 36.1
The measured average temperature were Max 56.9 and Min 35.35 It looks it was colder than average under one of the red dots, a -0.9 for max and -0.75 for Min.
pat (19:06:09) :
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..
It l0oks like the “moderate version” will concentrate on “clean energy” rather than carbon footprints per se. Credit Lindsey Graham for this. To sum up the reasoning in two words, try Duke Power.
On the issue of GiSS data for Finland, checking out the Finnish OGIMET transmitted CLIMAT data, in the WMO coded CLIMAT portion (see ) the mean max/min temp data entry for Sodankyla on line 111 group 4, was transmitted correctly as 410371175 which decodes to a mean max of -3.7°C and a mean min of -17.5°C. The error came from GISS. There was no problem on the CLIMAT portion of the of the message transmitted by Finland.
There may not be problem with GISS “quality control” at all; that is if you accept Gavin’s interpretation of the term, 🙂
My vote is take the $$$ from NOAA and give it to NASA’s moon mission.
Even though I know El Nino has been doing a great job, I still have little confidence in the assessment.
How can we trust their assessment anymore?
Let’s take some rural data and anything that is unadjusted and see what it look like.
It leaves me in a quandry!
Come on Gavin said 2010 will be the warmest so it has to be… like in Finland…
stevengoddard (19:55:27) :
Most models are forecasting negative ENSO by July.
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/lanina/enso_evolution-status-fcsts-web.pdf
This may be the last fun for CAGW groupies this year.
Well, I can’t speak for the CAGW groupies ( http://tinyurl.com/yemj8dj ) but personally, it would be fun if the summer melt ended up below 2009 levels – I enjoy hearing all the “spin” as to why the Arctic losing its summer ice soon is “natural”:
http://nsidc.org/images/arcticseaicenews/20091005_Figure2.png
http://nsidc.org/images/arcticseaicenews/20090908_Figure2.png
http://nsidc.org/images/arcticseaicenews/20090804_Figure2.png
If I have to wait till 2011 or 2012, not so fun.
Look at that 2008 sea ice extent dive, starting within the “gray area” – things can happen fast in a warm Arctic… and CryoSat-2 will be watching the whole time. I wonder what happens when “the warmest oceans on record” flow up under the Arctic egg-shell-thin sea ice cap.
We’ll see by October.
I live in Florida, and it was miserably cold here. The coldest winter in decades. March was much cooler than usual, and now that spring has arrived and it has warmed up, everyone is remarking on the pleasant difference.
NOAA must be fudging the numbers, as usual. It doesn’t matter whether it’s freezing or boiling, NOAA always declares every month the hottest on record. But, which record? The one they started two years ago, the one they started five years ago, the one they started three weeks ago? The revised one, two, three, four?
It was perfect room temperature in the Gore bunker-mansion. He may have some diesel-powered solar panels for backup, just in case.
It would be interesting to see similar maps of other similar El Ninos, perhaps from a more reliable source.
Here’s a thought. If 30 years is climate, and you want to measure climate change, why wouldn’t you be taking the average of thirty years for your anomaly? Isn’t this an exercise in futility, this strange practice of comparing weather to climate?
Anu (20:48:36) :
Why would anyone here care what those carpet baggers have to say?
Sea Ice? Normal. And your point?
@ur momisugly Anu (21:32:46) :
and CryoSat-2 will be watching the whole time. I wonder what happens when “the warmest oceans on record” flow up under the Arctic egg-shell-thin sea ice cap.
We’ll see by October.
I love how the facts are known before the evidence is gathered. I am brimming with confidence in this process. /sarc
@ur momisugly Russ Steele (21:04:47) :
Shhhhh!!!! That is top secret.
Forest fire season is now underway in British Columbia:
http://bcwildfire.ca/hprScripts/WildfireNews/Fires.asp?Mode=normal&&AllFires=1&FC=0
And snowpacks in British Columbia are ALL below normal:
http://www.elp.gov.bc.ca/rfc/bulletins/watersupply/
Should be an interesting summer….
Very warm in New Hampshire. Four days above 70° (3 days at 23°C) and two above 80 (high of 30.2°C). The forecast now? Saturday Night: Rain likely, possibly mixed with snow showers, mainly before 8pm.
Pretty typical new England spring, i.e. anything except the long term average. Either cold from the Atlantic or Canada, or warm from the Gulf of Mexico.
I live in Hong Kong which is on a latatude with Miami.
Today I need a sweater
The image sure shows Canada melting off the planet. Vancouver was a normal winter with a false spring during the Winter Olympics and then it got cooler! Naturally! It’s only starting to be as warm again. Just another warmish wet winter in Vancouver. Plenty of those.
What I’m curious about is both NOAA and Environment Canada are alleging that Canada is now a northern tropical destination with one of the hottest winters on record… I’d love to know how they figure that out.
Where is the temperature data?
Just how many thermometers are they using?
Canada is HUGE at 9,984,670 km2 or 3,854,085 sq mi. Bigger than China with only Russia being bigger (by a lot actually).
How many temperature stations?
How many square kilometers are of this NOAA Image is FABRICATED with INTERPOLATED data?
How many of that RED DOTS are FABRICATED DATA?
This needs to be audited.
[Oops… sorry about the grammar mistakes… ]
How many square kilometers of the NOAA Image are FABRICATED with INTERPOLATED data?
How many of the RED DOTS are FABRICATED DATA?
This needs to be audited.
“We should ask our Canadian friends if it was “hot” during March…”
National Climate Data and Information Archive
http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/Welcome_e.html
We need to extend the surface stations project into Canada as well, even if it’s just to locate with GPS coordinates where the temperature sensors are. Or are they using a satellite to make these measurements?