Extreme negative temperatures out-number extreme positive temperatures on the planet today, with a spread of over 100ºF. Eagle airport in upper Alaska on the Yukon River is one such example:
Source: http://w1.weather.gov/data/obhistory/PAEG.html
No word yet on whether this is a new record low temperature. And there’s more… From this list at CoolWx, which seems to be behind in reporting (h/t Ryan Maue):
0 stations reporting temperature -55°C or colder
0 stations reporting temperature -50°C to -54°C
2 stations reporting temperature -45°C to -49°C
- CYOC: Old Crow Airport, Canada [-45°C, -49.0°F]
CYOC 261900Z 00000KT 20SM IC PRFG FEW010 M45/M49 A3029 RMK ST1 FROIN VIS NE 5/8 SW 5/8 WND ESTD SLP314
- PAEG: Eagle, Eagle Airport, AK, United States [-45.°C, -49.0°F]
PAEG 261932Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM SCT026 M46/ A3018 RMK AO2 T1456 TSNO
14 stations reporting temperature -40°C to -44°C
- CWEU: Eureka, NT, Canada [-43°C, -45.4°F]
CWEU 261800Z 00000KT 15SM SKC M43/M45 A2974 RMK SLP074
- CYLK: Lutsel KE, NT, Canada [-40°C, -40.0°F]
CYLK 261600Z 07004KT 15SM VCFG FEW100 M40/M43 A3002 RMK AC1 SLP203
- CYUS: Shepherd Bay, NT, Canada [-40°C, -40.0°F]
CYUS 261900Z AUTO 17005KT CLR M40/ A2966 RMK SLP055
- CYVQ: Norman Wells, NT, Canada [-43°C, -45.4°F]
CYVQ 261700Z 00000KT 5SM IC BR FEW090 SCT270 M43/M47 A3028 RMK AC2CI1 SLP269
- PABI: Delta Junction/Ft Greely, Allen Army Airfield, AK, United States [-40°C, -40.0°F]
PABI 261708Z 00000KT 5SM BR CLR M40/M42 A2994 RMK AO2
- PABT: Bettles, Bettles Airport, AK, United States [-43°C, -45.4°F]
PABT 261925Z 00000KT 10SM FEW001 M43/ A3020 RMK AO2 PNO
- PAEI: Fairbanks, Eielson AFB, AK, United States [-42°C, -43.6°F]
PAEI 261713Z AUTO 16003KT 2 1/2SM R32/3500FT BR CLR M42/ A3004 RMK AO2 VIS 2 1/2V4 $
- PAGA: Galena, Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport, AK, United States [-41.°C, -41.8°F]
PAGA 261858Z AUTO 00000KT 1 1/2SM BR CLR M42/ A3018 RMK AO2 SLP230 T1417 FZRANO PNO $
- PAML: Manley Hot Springs, Manly Hot Springs Airport, AK, United States [-44°C, -47.2°F]
PAML 261755Z 00000KT 5SM BR FEW000 M44/ A3013 RMK FEW000 NW-NE NOSPECI
- PANN: Nenana, Nenana Municipal Airport, AK, United States [-42.°C, -43.6°F]
PANN 261934Z AUTO 00000KT 3/4SM BR VV002 M43/ A3006 RMK AO2 T1428 TSNO
- PAOR: Northway, Northway Airport, AK, United States [-40.°C, -40.0°F]
PAOR 261553Z 00000KT 5SM BR BCFG BKN011 BKN065 M40/ A2991 RMK AO2 SLP256 T1400
- PARC: Arctic Village, Arctic Village Airport, United States [-41°C, -41.8°F]
PARC 261916Z AUTO 00000KT 2SM CLR M41/ A3003 RMK AO1
- PATA: Tanana, Calhoun Memorial Airport, AK, United States [-41.°C, -41.8°F]
PATA 261752Z 00000KT 10SM CLR M41/ A3015 RMK AO2 SLP225 T1411 11400 21417 53007
- PFYU: Fort Yukon, Fort Yukon Airport, AK, United States [-43°C, -45.4°F]
PFYU 261739Z 00000KT 3SM BR FEW002 SCT006 M43/ A3026
0 stations reporting temperature 55°C or warmer
0 stations reporting temperature 50°C to 54°C
0 stations reporting temperature 45°C to 49°C
3 stations reporting temperature 40°C to 44°C
- SARL: Paso De Los Libres Aerodrome, Argentina [40°C, 104.0°F]
SARL 261800Z 32010KT 9999 SCT030 FEW045CB 40/22 Q1007
- SBSM: Santa Maria Aero-Porto, Brazil [40°C, 104.0°F]
SBSM 261900Z 19006KT 9999 FEW040 40/14 Q1007
- SUSO: Salto, Uruguay [40°C, 104.0°F]
SUSO 261900Z 01010KT 9999 SCT030 40/18 Q1005
anything lower than -40°C/°F is freaking cold.
-51°F = -46.1°C
The arctic air (high pressure systems) seam to be off and running this year.
Gonna be a fun one in the Great White North
BTW a unit °F is 5/9 a unit °C
so there’s 180°F between freezing and boiling water in Fahrenheit
and
100°C between freezing and boiling water in Celsius
a spread of 100° is much larger in Celsius.
1 gallon US = 3.78 liters
4″ = 101.6 mm ≈ 10 cm ≈ .1 m
1m = 100 cm = 1000mm = 39.37″ ≈ 1yard+
1 km = .62 mile >>> 100 kph = 62 mph
1 lb = 454g
2.2 lb = 1 kg
1 cup ≈ 240 ml
In Canada those of us old enough 40+ are pretty much versed in both systems and we use simple approximations.
We still use in foot for construction ie 2×4 2×6 4×8 sheets of plywood etc
we still weigh ourselves in lbs
we talk kilometers and miles interchangeably because all the rural areas are laid out in miles.
we still play foot ball in yards
knowing both systems makes it very easy to communicate with people world wide
AND -40 IS -40 lol
”
DirkH says:
December 26, 2013 at 4:55 pm
The meter was originally conceived to be a 1/10,000,000 of the distance between the equator and the pole. That’s very rational. And probably VERY old.
===============
”
Old? It’s meaningless. Earth is an oblate spheriod not a sphere. The 1/10000000 distance is only through the prime meridian. It was invented back in the era of general napoleon, a science groupie. Now the meter is no longer defined in terms of the Earth but it does depend on the speed of light and atomic spectra wavelength. As it turns out, measurement standards need two things. Repeatability is the ability to duplicate measurement standards and precludes variations or changes. The second is convenience or ease of use. Once those exist, it doesn’t really matter much what it is.
Inches, feet, yards, miles are more difficult to work with than the meter and a common set of prefixes such as centi, deci, milli, and kilo. Once you get the foot length away from the actual heel to toe length of the current thug in power, it can do a fair job of length measurement along with the non factors of 10 between the other distance measurements.
Like most socialistic libs, the inventors of the metric system were far from being as smart as they thought themselves to be. Fortunately, only a fraction of the metric system was ever implemented.
We were never subjected to the 10 day week or the 10 hour day and 10 hour night. We still have the 360 degree circle rather than the 400 degree grad units (for the most part). Turns out that the 360 degree circle is a very good approximation of the Earth’s orbit in terms of days – approximately 1 degree per day.
One could argue that keeping our current, mostly English based units, is probably healthier than migrating to the metric system. Using non multiples of 10 and having to convert units undoubtedly exercises the brain and makes people have to think a little bit about what they are doing.
Just another example of extreme global warming….places will get colder as a result of man burning all those dirty fuels. 😉
Actually the English system of measurements derived from the day to day activities on the farm.
I bushel of wheat = 60 pounds which is approximately what 1 person can lift and carry comfortably.
An acre? It what what person could plow in one day.
Unfortunately, since the French looked down upon and did not like English they had to contrive what can be considered a substandard system of weights less their superior culture be over run and over whelmed by the crude Brits.
Why the Brits gave up he pint is beyond me.
climateace says: December 26, 2013 at 4:47 pm
Technically speaking, is it cherrypicking when you pick our a single day when cold records are outstripping hot records, when you could instead use decades of hot records outstripping cold records by a significant margin?
No it’s not cherry picking since your fantasy of decades of warm records outstripping cold records doesn’t exist for the past eight decades.
unfortunately the cold and cooling is bad news for mankind, a warming world was a desirable thing.
cba says: “Inches, feet, yards, miles are more difficult to work with than the meter and a common set of prefixes such as centi, deci, milli, and kilo”.
Like a lot of people in their fifties I use a mixture of metric and imperial, the metric system is more logical, but the imperial is easier to visualise. An inch is derived from the length of the thumb from its tip to the first joint, a foot from the length of a male foot or the length of the wrist to the elbow. Here in the UK we have to buy fuel in litres not gallons so calculating mpg only became easy when cars were fitted with computers.
Oh and Box of Rocks, we still buy beer in pints or 1/2 pints, but wine and spirits in 750ml or 1 litre bottles. I can visualise a pint better than I can a litre.
The other problem with the metric system is that 10 is only divisible by 5 and 2. 12 (inches in a foot) is divisible by 2, 3 ,4 and 6. 16 ounces in a pound is divisible by 2, 4, and 8. A yard (36 inches) is divisible by 2, 3,4,6,9 and 18.
Each system has its advantages and disadvantages
“Why the Brits gave up he pint is beyond me.”
If they gave it up for something larger, it makes perfect sense to me. I like Beer.
The following are record cold temperatures for Alaska.
Coldest temperatures recorded in Alaska
Place °F °C Day
Prospect Creek Camp -80 -62.2 January 23, 1971
Manley Hot Springs -77 -60.6 January 5, 1997
Tanana -76 -60.0 January 27, 1989
Allakaket -75 -59.4 January 24, 1971
McGrath -75 -59.4 January 27, 1989
Ambler West -74 -58.9 January 26, 1989
Chandalar Lake -74 -58.9 January 29, 1999
Coldfoot Camp -74 -58.9 January 22, 1971
Manley Hot Springs -73 -58.3 January 2, 1989
Aniak -72 -57.8 January 27, 1989
Chicken -72 -57.8 December 31, 1999
Clearwater -72 -57.8 January 6, 1975
Northway -72 -57.8 January 20, 1952
Eagle -71 -57.2 January 19, 1952
Farewell Lake -71 -57.2 January 28, 1989
Northway -71 -57.2 January 5, 1965
Tok -71 -57.2 January 5, 1965
Allakaket -70 -56.7 February 25, 1954
January 23, 1971
Bettles Airport -70 -56.7 January 4, 1975
Dietrich Camp -70 -56.7 January 23, 1971
Eagle -70 -56.7 January 5 & 6, 1975
Galena -70 -56.7 January 27, 1989
Tanacross -70 -56.7 December 13, 1956
Tok -70 -56.7 December 13, 1964
“Why the Brits gave up the pint is beyond me.”
They didn’t. Someone has been telling porkies. They also use miles, yards, feet, inches and acres. And pounds, ounces, tonnes and to confuse things, metric tonnes. The imperial measures for everyday use are alive and kicking.
However, for engineering purposes the metric system is used.
There are peculiarities, though. If you need a new carpet you can get it in widths of 2, 3 or 4 meter, but you buy it per foot length.
I love this country!
Get a life folks, minus 51 F isn’t anything to write about. I have seen lots of minus 60 F and some in the minus 70 F range in Alaska. And the folks at the South Pole routinely see much lower.
Apropos of nothing in particular here, I’m glad to be able to read WUWT for the first time in nearly a week. The Toronto ice storm left me without power for days, and without phone and hence Internet until today. After living in Toronto for over 25 years, I am experiencing my first real Canadian winter here. Snow on the ground for part of November and all of December. Much colder than ‘usual’ here but I understand that there used to be real winters here back in the 1960s and 1970s. We live in interesting times.
Google is my friend, the specified sensor for Environment Canada is YSI 44034, with an impressive range and accuracy.
Next, what is status of weather station? After the 2011 response to the Pembenia Institutes 2008 FOI , what is the true state of temperature recording systems within E.C’s network.
I am extremely cynical of my government agency as history has a way of vanishing in their records.
Rewriting the past seems to be part of “Environment Canada’s Science”.As does swilling the CAGW cool aid, to the tune of billions of tax dollars wasted.
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And past records can be changed to produce new “records”. They have been for where I live.
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😎 I hear what you’re saying. But we need to remember two things:
What’s “normal” for where people live and what part of that “normal” people have actually experienced.
The weather runs in cycles. When the cycle is long enough they call it “climate”.
We’ve been on the up-slope of the cycle. Most in their lifetime have experienced “warming’.
It seems we’ve passed the top on the climate roller coaster in most peoples experience.
Some are still selling tickets to the “The World’s Highest”.
‘Gunga Din says:
December 27, 2013 at 1:38 pm
Steve Keohane says:
December 27, 2013 at 8:24 am
climateace says: December 26, 2013 at 4:47 pm
Technically speaking, is it cherrypicking when you pick our a single day when cold records are outstripping hot records, when you could instead use decades of hot records outstripping cold records by a significant margin?
No it’s not cherry picking since your fantasy of decades of warm records outstripping cold records doesn’t exist for the past eight decades.
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And past records can be changed to produce new “records”. They have been for where I live.’
Talk about ignoring the statistics if you don’t like them. Anyway, since everyone on this string appears to support cherrypicking on hot v cold records, Australia has just had its….
Nah. Just joking.
climateace says:December 28, 2013 at 12:02 am
“Talk about ignoring the statistics if you don’t like them.” nice projection
Main GHG is declining: http://i48.tinypic.com/2qlfnzn.jpg
The past is rewritten: http://i42.tinypic.com/vpx303.jpg
1998 IPCC said we were warmer in MWP: http://i39.tinypic.com/bgemm9.jpg
Oops that was 1990 IPCC said we were warmer in MWP.
May as well throw in 10-8K years of cooling: http://i49.tinypic.com/oji4b7.jpg
ferdberple says:
“As it is. when you get a metric chart, the units are all but hopeless for navigation”
Really … have you ever heard of UTM grid? It’s metric!
Galane says: @ur momisugly December 29, 2013 at 1:03 am
Is there somewhere that has collected ….
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Try IceAgeNow
For example: More Than Two Thirds Of The US Below Normal Temperature In 2013
They gather news of cold events from around the world that you will not see in the MSM.