Overview
Each month, we will provide information regarding the previous month’s climate. February 2015’s average global land and ocean temperature was the second warmest February on record. This makes February 2015 much warmer than a year ago when February 2014 came in as the 44th warmest on record.
Highlights Dataset
Dataset: 20150321 EarthNow: February 2015 Highlights
Dataset: 20150321 EarthNow: AUDIO February 2015 Highlights
This dataset shows some of the major February weather and climate highlights from the National Climatic Data Center’s (NCDC) monthly global climate analysis, and serves as an overview of what can be discussed in the datasets that follow. Highlights are noted below.
- Russia: Central and western sections of the country experienced conditions between 7 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit (4 to 5°C) above normal.
- Norway: 7.6 degrees Fahrenheit (4.2°C) warmer than the 1961–1990 average during February, with some regions as much as 11 to 16° Fahrenheit (6–9°C) warmer than their monthly averages.
- Spain: Below-average temperature for February 2015, at 2.0° Fahrenheit (1.1°C) below its 1981–2010 average.
- United States: The contiguous U.S. came in at 0.7°F below the 20th century average, ranking near the median value in a 121-year period of record.
- Australia: Warmer than normal temperatures engulfed much of the country, resulting in the second warmest February on record.
- Argentina: Above average precipitation in February. Heavy rainfall triggered floods in the region of Cuyo and in the provinces of Cordoba and Santa Fe.
Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies Dataset
Dataset: 20150321 EarthNow: February 2015 SST Anomaly
Dataset: 20150321 EarthNow: AUDIO February 2015 SST Anomaly
- The real-time sea surface temperature anomaly dataset is a great way to visualize the El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
- The average February temperature for the global waters was the third highest for the month, at 0.51°C (0.92°F) above the 20th century average.
- During February 2015, a weak El Niño officially emerged across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. According to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, there is about a 50-60 percent chance that El Niño conditions will continue through the Northern Hemisphere 2015 summer.
- Remember blues indicate cooler than average temperatures and reds indicate warmer than average temperatures (white: average).
Snow and Ice Cover Dataset
Dataset: 20150321 EarthNow: February 2015 Snow and Ice Cover
Dataset: 20150321 EarthNow: AUDIO February 2015 Snow and Ice Cover
- Aside from helping to illustrate seasonal changes, the real-time Snow and Ice Cover dataset is a great way to convey sea ice change through time, including discussing how the current sea ice extent compares to other noteworthy years.
- The Arctic sea ice extent for February 2015 was 6.2% below the 1981-2010 average, making it the third smallest February sea ice extent since satellite records began in 1979.
- In Antarctica, the sea ice extent was 21.4% above the 1981-2010 average, the sixth largest on record for the month of February.
Seasonal Outlooks
Be sure to check out the 3-month seasonal outlooks for April – June.
- Global Temperature Outlook
- Global Precipitation Outlook
- U.S. Drought Outlook
Where do I find the datasets?
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First, check your SOS system to make sure it’s not already in the EarthNow category.
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If not, you can download the datasets and playlist files from this FTP Site.
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Then download and use playlist files at the top of the page (or create your own) and make sure they are in /home/sos/sosrc or /home/sosdemo/sosrc.
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More detailed information here
Helpful Resources for More Information
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http://go.wisc.edu/3nd6pg National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)
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http://go.wisc.edu/9y2618 About ENSO (El Niño/La Niña)
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http://go.wisc.edu/1nx2n3 NCDC’s Global Climate Report
Credits:
EarthNow Team
NOAA
References:
NOAA National Climatic Data Center, State of the Climate: Global Analysis for August 2014, published online September 2014, retrieved on September 29, 2014 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/.
