March 2012: Earth's 16th warmest on record
March 2012 was the globe's 16th warmest March on record, but the coolest March since 1999, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). March 2012 was the 17th warmest on record, according to NASA. March 2012 global land temperatures were the 18th warmest on record, and ocean temperatures were the 14th warmest on record. The relatively cool global temperatures were due, in part, to the lingering effects of the La Niña event in the Eastern Pacific that is now ending. Global satellite-measured temperatures for the lowest 8 km of the atmosphere were near average, the 17th or 11th warmest in the 34-year record, according to Remote Sensing Systems and the University of Alabama Huntsville (UAH). March temperatures in the stratosphere were the 1st or 2nd coldest on record. We expect cold temperatures there due to the greenhouse effect and to destruction of ozone due to CFC pollution. Northern Hemisphere snow cover during March was near average, ranking 23rd largest (24th smallest) in the 46-year record. Wunderground's weather historian, Christopher C. Burt, has a comprehensive post on the notable weather events of March in his March 2012 Global Weather Extremes Summary. Notably, Norway, Iceland, and Scotland all recorded their hottest March temperatures on record, and it was the warmest March in U.S. history. Portions of Italy received no measurable precipitation whatsoever, and for most of southern Europe, it was the driest March on record. In the U.K. it was the driest March since 1953.
Figure 1. Departure of temperature from average for March 2012. The U.S. and Canada experienced the most extreme warmth of anywhere in the globe during March. Image credit: National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) .
La Niña conditions no longer present
La Niña conditions are no longer present in the equatorial Pacific, where sea surface temperatures were approximately 0.4°C below average during March and the the first half of April. The threshold for a La Niña is for these temperatures to be 0.5°C below average or cooler. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center forecasts that La Niña will be gone by the end of April. The majority of the El Niño computer models (48%) predict neutral conditions for this fall, during the August - September - October peak of hurricane season, though 35% of the models predict an El Niño will develop. El Niño conditions tend to decrease Atlantic hurricane activity, by increasing wind shear over the tropical Atlantic.
Figure 2. Ice age data show that first-year ice made up 75% of the Arctic sea ice cover this March. Thicker multi-year ice used to make up around a quarter of the Arctic sea ice cover. Now it constitutes only 2%. Image credit: National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
March Arctic sea ice extent ninth lowest on record
Arctic sea ice extent was at its ninth lowest extent on record in March, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). This was the highest since 2008 and one of the highest March extents in the past decade. Ice extent as of April 23 was close to average, one of the few times during the past decade that has occurred. However, ice in the Arctic is increasingly young, thin ice, which will make it easy for this year's ice to melt away to near-record low levels this summer, if warmer than average weather occurs in the Arctic. During the 1980s, more than 20% of the Arctic ice was more than 4 years old; this March, that fraction was just 2%. Satellite sea ice records date back to 1979.
I'll have a new post by Friday.
Jeff Masters
Reader Comments
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 — Blog Index
Some people just have to get reality into perspective:-
This Trump Chappy has modified an almost insignificantly small part of the planet which spends a lot of its time as borderline tundra, in order that a few selected rich can hit small balls about with oddly shaped clubs!
Now from an extraterrestrials point of view, these ball knockers should be grateful that the general background populace have had the foresight to put up windmills in order that the future generations of ball knockers will not suffocate from heat and CO2 before they expire from alcholic poisoning after their pointless trudge to hole 19 as they call it.
With a bit of clever marketing the view of windmills could bring in 'green' golfers, who appreciate that humanity might have a "wind blown future?"
The same golf course that nobody* in the area wants because it'll spoil the scenery... and shut down longheld public rights-of-way for walkers, hikers, riders, bicyclists, and tourists.
* Except for potential members (ie social-climbers), building contractors, and employees.
Those were some impressive ones, but I always remember Gilbert. I remember seeing on the WC that it was so strong at one point, it was pulling air from below the equator; something which they had never seen. Can anyone find that report?
And Mitch took so many lives. Terrible storm.
20100914 | 2345 | ATL | 7.0 (DT) | 7.0 (FT) | 7.0 (CI) | 18.9 | 53.4 | 921 | 140 | 11L | IGOR | 1 | 10 | KL
=========
On September 14 at 11:45 pm when this info was recorded, Igor was a Category 5 with 160 mph and a pressure of 921 mbars.
Gilbert was massive it was over 500 miles across, it is also Jamaica's costliest hurricane...Mitch was impressive and deadly, with over 15000 deaths
Dean at landfall far exceeded either of them, imo.
I thought Hurricane Dean's north core pounded Jamaica pretty harsh (especially on Jamaica's south coast). How was your experience?
You know its off season by the way when Donald Trump takes center stage here...
Here is tonight's update of the 30 day SOI.
Make that "...from landfall in the contiguous US..."
Both Dean and Felix made landfalls elsewhere as Cat5s.
I think that this might signal the beginning of the end of summer ice in the Arctic as we know it, ( did Spok say that?)
If we get a season as similar to the last 2 with a lot of storms heading off up in the general direction of Greenland, then that warmed air may just tip the scales in favour of Greenland being ice free on the majority of its shorelines.
I would not personally know if this would be the first time in recent recorded history that this has occurred but the surface currents will then be free to circulate and erode more northerly regions of surface ice.
The south central end of the island experienced the worst conditions, but that part of Jamaica is not highly populated....there some strong wind gust in the interior Jamaica due to the higher elevation, we also had some coastal surge on the south....luckily both Ivan and Dean wobble to the west just before impact
Somewhere in the back of the mind! you also have to think, that by posting some things, there might be a sinister knock on the door!
It's certainly a possibility. Given how thin the ice is all it would take is the right weather pattern and it would make the pole ice free. It's been relatively close a couple of times over the past few years.
The SOI is hovering just under 7.0
Make that "...at all." eg Any back-of-the-envelope calculation would show that even having the Earth's total insolation -- ie the total amount of sunlight falling on Earth -- focused exclusively on Antarctica would not cause its icecap to melt as rapidly as he was saying.
que bola, acere? No lo creo!
Some of the meteorologists in these videos are nuts. Particulary the first meterologist in this video covering Tropical Storm Bob 1985...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZturdeRpUg
Either that, or he wants to fire us all.
Post links please.
Just based on your post, I would say at least some of the info is incorrect. The sun doesn't really have any fixed poles. It has many poles and they move about quite frequently.
The poles on Earth are always moving as well. They don't change nearly as quickly as the sun, but they poles don't really stay fixed.
Pole reversals on Earth do happen but the take a long time to occur. They don't happen in the span of a year.
Also, even during a pole reversal sequence the Earth still has plenty of magnetic field. It's weakened to be sure, but it is still there, and it is more than enough to keep the planet adequately shielded. And even if it went away entirely the Earth's relatively thick atmosphere would still provide protection.
No es mejor:-
Lo soy que soy?
Estoy solamente aqui, para ti , en este momento?
que bola, es un juego de ninos!
Igor was large as well...what's up W115?
Hay una canción con ese nombre.
How you doing? Are you back in the chilly British Isles or in sunny Spain?
We were talking about how impressive the hurricanes were, not the strength at which they made landfall. I'd say a storm going from a post-tropical cyclone to a Category 4 in two days is pretty impressive, is it not?
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/TCR-AL112010_Igor.pdf
The National Hurricane Center post-storm report says it was officially at 135 knots (155 mph) and 924 mb at peak intensity...which made it at the very top of Cat 4. But with it knocking on the doorstep of cat 5...I can see why some believe it was while others don't...
Nothing beats the marker
Gilbert coverage.
Last I saw of 91L, it was travelling northwestward from Bermuda. I don't see how it could have gotten to either east of the Bahamas or east of the Caribbean...
...which are the only two systems that I see on your link that appear to be somewhat circular.
Atlantic.
Like Felix, for example. He became a Category 5 in two days.
Rina became a major hurricane in 24 hours too.
Well, I guess that statement said by Jeff Morrow came out true.
Buenas Noches Caballero.
Estoy aqui en Espana y el tiempo is moy bueno.
La isla de frio u viento, con mucho humidad no es para mi y toda mis obras estan terminado.
Como la cosa's ahora? Donde andas?
Tenemoms una peste aqui? o No?
I have been back in Spain now for 2 months and there is a drought here of biblical proportions. The sun shines most of the time but they are having 90 MPH winds on the north coast at the moment with torrential rains.
A large deep low pressure is affecting the British Isles with powerful thunder storms and gales, it accompanies a return to long term financial recession.
Sort of Depression/Recession etc, rhymes
Que Sera, Srea?
Groundhog's day & other forms of "conventional wisdom" don't apply when the jet stream is loopy like it has been this year...
poof
Yes it was
My dad has pictures of where they were on a boat and the water was up past the stop sign..
That's a lot of water.
ROFL...LOL...I found that video hugely entertaining...
The antics they used to report weather in the 1960s are better than today's (I liked Wilbur the bird and Clammity Clam). Apparently they had to scribble the weather map from memory (unlike today's meteorlogists on TV where the maps are auto-generated on a silver platter).
Wishful thinking. :)
Viewing: 251 - 301
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 — Blog Index