UPDATE: Changed emphasis from Northern Hemisphere extratropics to entire Northern Hemisphere (h/t John Christy)
In April, 2020, the Northern Hemisphere experienced its 2nd largest 2-month drop in temperature in the 497-month satellite record.
The Version 6.0 global average lower tropospheric temperature (LT) anomaly for April, 2020 was +0.38 deg. C, down from the March, 2020 value of +0.48 deg. C.
The Northern Hemisphere temperature anomaly fell from +0.96 deg. C to 0.43 deg. C from February to April, a 0.53 deg. C drop which is the 2nd largest 2-month drop in the 497-month satellite record. The largest 2-month drop was -0.69 deg. C from December 1987 to February 1988.
The linear warming trend since January, 1979 has now increased to +0.14 C/decade (but remains statistically unchanged at +0.12 C/decade over the global-averaged oceans, and +0.18 C/decade over global-averaged land).
Various regional LT departures from the 30-year (1981-2010) average for the last 16 months are:
YEAR MO GLOBE NHEM. SHEM. TROPIC USA48 ARCTIC AUST 2019 01 +0.38 +0.35 +0.41 +0.36 +0.53 -0.15 +1.15 2019 02 +0.37 +0.47 +0.28 +0.43 -0.02 +1.04 +0.06 2019 03 +0.35 +0.44 +0.25 +0.41 -0.55 +0.97 +0.59 2019 04 +0.44 +0.38 +0.51 +0.54 +0.49 +0.92 +0.91 2019 05 +0.32 +0.29 +0.35 +0.40 -0.61 +0.98 +0.39 2019 06 +0.47 +0.42 +0.52 +0.64 -0.64 +0.91 +0.35 2019 07 +0.38 +0.33 +0.44 +0.45 +0.10 +0.33 +0.87 2019 08 +0.39 +0.38 +0.39 +0.42 +0.17 +0.44 +0.24 2019 09 +0.62 +0.64 +0.59 +0.60 +1.14 +0.75 +0.57 2019 10 +0.46 +0.64 +0.28 +0.31 -0.03 +0.99 +0.50 2019 11 +0.55 +0.56 +0.54 +0.55 +0.21 +0.56 +0.38 2019 12 +0.56 +0.61 +0.50 +0.58 +0.92 +0.66 +0.94 2020 01 +0.57 +0.60 +0.53 +0.62 +0.73 +0.12 +0.66 2020 02 +0.76 +0.96 +0.55 +0.76 +0.38 +0.02 +0.30 2020 03 +0.48 +0.61 +0.34 +0.63 +1.09 -0.72 +0.17 2020 04 +0.38 +0.43 +0.34 +0.45 -0.59 +1.03 +0.97
The UAH LT global gridpoint anomaly image for April, 2020 should be available within the next week here.
The global and regional monthly anomalies for the various atmospheric layers we monitor should be available in the next few days at the following locations:
Lower Troposphere: http://vortex.nsstc.uah.edu/data/msu/v6.0/tlt/uahncdc_lt_6.0.txt
Mid-Troposphere: http://vortex.nsstc.uah.edu/data/msu/v6.0/tmt/uahncdc_mt_6.0.txt
Tropopause: http://vortex.nsstc.uah.edu/data/msu/v6.0/ttp/uahncdc_tp_6.0.txt
Lower Stratosphere: http://vortex.nsstc.uah.edu/data/msu/v6.0/tls/uahncdc_ls_6.0.txt
Source: Dr. Roy Spencer
From the Alabama State Climatologist, Dr. John Christy:
Global Temperature Report: April 2020
Global climate trend since Dec. 1 1978: +0.135 C per decade
April Temperatures (preliminary)
Global composite temp.: +0.38 C (+0.68 °F) above seasonal average
Northern Hemisphere: +0.43 C (+0.77 °F) above seasonal average
Southern Hemisphere: +0.34 C (+0.61 °F) above seasonal average
Tropics: +0.45 C (+0.81°F) above seasonal average
March Temperatures (Final)
Global composite temp.: +0.48 C (+0.86 °F) above seasonal average
Northern Hemisphere: +0.61 C (+1.10 °F) above seasonal average
Southern Hemisphere: +0.34 C (+0.61 °F) above seasonal average
Tropics: +0.63 C (+1.13°F) above seasonal average
Notes on data released May 1, 2020 (v6.0)
Seasonally-adjusted temperatures dropped a bit in the tropics and northern hemisphere from March values leading to a global temperature departure from average of +0.38 °C (+0.68 °F). As indicated last month we suggested that the drop is due in part to the cooling of the central Pacific Ocean. Recall that in the latter months of 2019, a weak, warm El Niño like event occurred which aided in warming up the atmosphere for a few months but that impact is mostly exhausted now. The two-month drop in the Northern Hemisphere temperature of -0.53 °C is rare – exceeded only once in the 497-month history when the hemisphere cooled between the 1987 warm El Niño and the cold 1989 La Niña. The NH temperature dropped -0.69 °C between December 1987 and February 1988.
The region with the warmest departure from average was a large hot spot in central Russia in the Krasnoyarsk Krai region. The peak occurred near Vorogovo at a remarkable +6.4 °C (+11.4 °F) above average. As is usual, when it’s very warm in one place, there are usually a series of alternating cold and warm regions in the same latitude belt, reflecting a somewhat
stationary pattern. This month the pattern indicates three warm peaks (Central Russia, Gulf of Alaska and Europe) with three cool areas in between (Sea of Japan, Canada and western Russia.) Moving eastward from the peak in central Russia to the cool area in central Canada we find the coldest departure from average near the Prince Albert National Park in
Saskatchewan with a -3.3 °C (-6.0 °F) anomaly.
Besides the locations mentioned above, warmer than average conditions prevailed in the Caribbean Sea, Eastern Antarctica and western Australia. Cooler than average temperatures were found in the southern oceans.
The conterminous U.S. experienced its coolest April since 1998 being -0.59 °C (-1.06 °F) below the seasonal average. April U.S. temperatures have a large range though, being as cool as -2.54 °C (1983) and as warm as +2.08 °C (1981). Alaska was warmer than average in April, so that the 49-state mean temperature departure was not quite as cold as the 48-state value being -0.24 °C (-0.43 °F). [We don’t include Hawaii in the US results because its
land area is less than that of a satellite grid square, so it would have virtually no impact on the overall national results.]
The remarkable warmth of the lower stratosphere that was linked to the aerosols from the Australian fires last year is apparently fading. The global departure from average for this layer was +0.00 °C in April, down from +0.32 °C last month. Even so, April’s temperature was the warmest since the volcanically-induced warming in 1993 after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991.
Source: https://www.nsstc.uah.edu/climate/
Hmm, sorta interesting, considering there’s hardly any change in the ENSO.
This can’t stand! It needs to be homogenized to show this didn’t really occur.
Some confusion
-“The Northern Hemisphere temperature anomaly fell from +0.96 deg. C to 0.43 deg. C from February to April, a 0.53 deg. C drop which is the 2nd largest 2-month drop in the 497-month satellite record. “
–
This article refers to the Northern Hemisphere drop but the graph is of the world anomaly, not the NH .
In other words the drop is a lot more than shown and yet most of the comments here are on the world anomaly.
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The other interest is the Arctic ice extent and mass which seems to have run a narrative opposite to the NH temp at large with a rapid rise over the hotter months and a decline when the drop was greatest,
–
Curious.
Sea ice is going to regrow fir the next 3 years due to the coming ENSO region changes, imo.
Warmest Aprils in UAH anomaly data:
1998 0.74 (Super El Nino)
2016 0.71 (Super El Nino)
2019 0.44 (El Nino)
2020 0.38 (Data not available)
2005 0.33 (El Nino)
2010 0.32 (El Nino)
https://ggweather.com/enso/oni.htm
A technical question whose answer I genuinely do not know.
Labs analysing CO2 in air first freeze the sample to remove (variable) water. This makes about a 10 ppm difference between wet and dry air.
But, if the ice that forms and is removed has no CO2 left in it, how come ice cores from glaciers and ice sheets are analysed for historic CO2 levels?
Are there different ways for ice to form, with or without contained CO2?
Has anyone collected the ice from the lab procedure, melted it in nitrogen and looked for CO2? Geoff S
NOAA Satellite records second largest 2-month temperature drop in history
One way of spinning it I suppose, though not technically correct as we’re talking about anomalies not temperatures.
Another way of looking at it is that UAH had the 4th warmest April in their data set, following three months that have been between 1st and 3rd warmest. This has also been the 3rd warmest start (Jan-Apr) to a year, with the only warmer starts being the two super El Niño years.
And it is the CO2 that did it?
Give ’em hail, Henry!
Apparently high ACO2 causes hail as well, we’ve had it 2 days running in SC.
Well deflected, sir.
Yes I suspect it probably is increasing CO2 that is causing a rise in temperatures, but whatever’s causing the rise is irrelevant to the gist of my comment. You can accept that temperatures are rising and try to argue that something other than CO2 is the cause, but pretending there’s any sign of cooling in the current data is flying in the face of the evidence.
Bellman.
No it is probably not the CO2 that did it. I explained that earlier up thread.
Bellman.
No. It is probably not the CO2 that did it. I explained that earlier up thread.
Bellman: “You can accept that temperatures are rising and try to argue that something other than CO2 is the cause…”
Talk about deflection!
More like:
Temperatures are falling by direct measurement of surface air since 2000 and CO2 is not the cause when they go up or down. They’ll start to rise again in 5-15 years. Then down again. Nature, rocking in place.
“Temperatures are falling by direct measurement of surface air since 2000…”
Any evidence to support that claim?
UAH, the data set this post is about, shows warming at the rate of 0.15°C / decade since 2000. All surface data sets I know off show warming at least as fast, usually faster, than this. If you are saying UAH is wrong and you have data to prove it, maybe you should point out the errors to Dr Spencer.
And yes, I’m guessing you will switch to talking about USA only, maximum temperatures only, and using your own method to calculate temperatures. But again, all of this is a deflection from my point, that the data as presented in this article shows the world is warming, when the headline tries to imply the opposite.
It’s not “my method.” And it’s not “USA only.”*
It’s NOAA’s global data. 100 million recordings since 2000. The next 100 million recordings will show the curve bottoming out, then rising again. Temp fluxes 4F over a ~70 year cycle.
And yes, if satellite readings say warming, and direct measure of surface says cooling, then GHCN is superior.
*My graphs of TMAX from USCHN show the same thing, and prove the same claim.
I notice you used the softener “All surface data sets I know of…”
Fine. Now you know better. NOAA surface data for the globe shows cooling.
“It’s NOAA’s global data.”
All you’ve provided is a graph. No indication of the source beyond saying it uses NOAA’s ghcn data. But NOAA’s own data set’s show something completely different so I’m skeptical of this anonymous analysis – especially when it is claiming a drop of over 1.5°C in twenty years, mostly happening in a single year.
Go ahead and make it non-anonymous yourself. This data belongs to the people of the earth. NOAA provides access. Just download it, parse it, graph it, and you will see the same result. I am not going to do any of the work for you, for instance linking you to the datatable I parsed. That won’t be clean. You have to download and do the work yourself, to assure I have not put a finger on it. Here you go:
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/land-based-station-data/land-based-datasets/global-historical-climatology-network-ghcn
I asked for the source of the analysis not for the data. Working out the average global temperature is rather more than “parsing” the data. Lots of people have analyzed the data and come to similar conclusions, all completely at odds with yours.
“It also rose that fast between 1976 and 2000.”
Big news if correct. All the time people here where complaining that the data was being manipulated to show faster warming and it turns out the reverse is true. Whilst all the frauds where claiming warming between 1975 and 2000 was less than 2°C / century, according to your research the “real” rate of warming during that period was 6°C / century.
Temp dropped 1.5C previously that fast, between 1940 and 1975. It also rose that fast between 1976 and 2000. This is mother nature rocking gently over 4F in an organic sine wave, her favorite song.