EarthNow

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 20^th 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?

• First, check your SOS system to make sure it’s not already in the EarthNow category.

• If not, you can download the datasets and playlist files from this FTP Site.

• 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.

• More detailed information here

Helpful Resources for More Information

• http://go.wisc.edu/3nd6pg National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)

• http://go.wisc.edu/9y2618 About ENSO (El Niño/La Niña)

• 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/.

Overview

Each month, we will provide information regarding the previous month’s climate. January 2015’s average global land and ocean temperature was the second warmest January on record just behind 2007.

Highlights Dataset

Dataset: 20150221 EarthNow: January 2015 Highlights

Dataset: 20150221 EarthNow: AUDIO January 2015 Highlights

This dataset shows some of the major January 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.

• Australia: 134% average precipitation totals during the month. The Northern Territory, they experienced their sixth wettest January in the 116-year period of record.

• China: Warmest January since records began in 1961.

• Norway: Average monthly temperature was 2.6°C(4.7°F) above the 1961-1990 average. Some eastern locations of the country had departures 5-7°C(9-11°F) higher than the average.

• Argentina: Above precipitation in northern parts of the country. Some locations of the region received nearly double the monthly average precipitation totals.

• United States: Drought conditions worsened across the West and Midwest. The State of California experienced its fourth driest January on record and several cities in northern California also were record dry.

Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies Dataset

Dataset: 20150221 EarthNow: January 2015 SST Anomaly

Dataset: 20150221 EarthNow: AUDIO January 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 January temperature for the global waters was the third highest for the month, at 0.53°C (0.95°F) above the 20^th century average.

• As of early February 2015 there is about a 50-60% chance of a weak El Niño in the late Northern Hemisphere wither and early spring.

• Remember blues indicate cooler than average temperatures and reds indicate warmer than average temperatures (white: average).

Snow and Ice Cover Dataset

Dataset: 20150221 EarthNow: January 2015 Snow and Ice Cover

Dataset: 20150221 EarthNow: AUDIO January 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 January 2015 was 6.3% below the 1981-2010 average, making it the third smallest January sea ice extent since satellite records began in 1979.

• In Antarctica, the sea ice extent was 44.6% above the 1981-2010 average, the largest on record for the month of January.

Seasonal Outlooks

Be sure to check out the 3-month seasonal outlooks for March – May.

• Global Temperature Outlook
• Global Precipitation Outlook
• U.S. Drought Outlook

Where do I find the datasets?

• First, check your SOS system to make sure it’s not already in the EarthNow category.

• If not, you can download the datasets and playlist files from this FTP Site.

• 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.

• More detailed information here

Helpful Resources for More Information

• http://go.wisc.edu/3nd6pg National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)

• http://go.wisc.edu/9y2618 About ENSO (El Niño/La Niña)

• 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/.

Overview

Each month, we will provide information regarding the previous month’s climate. December 2014’s average global land and ocean temperature was the warmest since records began, with December joining five other months in 2014 to set new monthly high temperature records and establishing 2014 as the warmest year on record.

Highlights Dataset

Dataset: 20150121 EarthNow: December 2014 Highlights

Dataset: 20150121 EarthNow: AUDIO December 2014 Highlights

This dataset shows some of the major December 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.

• Australia: Observed their sixth warmest December in their 105-year record.

• Russia: Warmer than average temperatures, especially in western and central Russia withe the warming in central Russia where temperatures departures were 5°C or higher.

• Austria: December 2014 was on of the 15 warmest Decembers in the nation’s 247-year period of record.

• Argentina: Central and northern parts of Argentina ecperienced wetter-than-average conditions during December. Certian locations recieved nearly double the monthly precipitation totals.

• United States: December 2014 was the second warmest since records began. Every state in the Lower 48 was warmer than average with nine states in the West, Southern Plains, and North East ranking in the top ten warmest. Several winter storms brought heavy precipitation to the U.S. west Coast in December, putting a dent in California’s long-term precipitation deficits. According to the U.S. drought monitor, drought conditions improved in parts of the West and Southeast, but worsened in parts of the Southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley.

• Alaska: Fifth warmest December was experienced since records began in 1918.

• Typhoon Hagupit: Hagupit reached Super Typhoon strength(Category 5) on December 4th. and made landfall on the Philippines as a Category 3 storm. Heavy rainfall and strong winds associated with the massive slow moving storm affected thousands and caused several fatalities.

Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies Dataset

Dataset: 20150121 EarthNow: December 2014 SST Anomaly

Dataset: 20150121 EarthNow: AUDIO December 2014 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 December temperature for the global waters was the third highest for the month, at 1.36°C (2.45°F) above the 20^th century average.

• Remember blues indicate cooler than average temperatures and reds indicate warmer than average temperatures (white: average).

Snow and Ice Cover Dataset

Dataset: 20150121 EarthNow: December 2014 Snow and Ice Cover

Dataset: 20150121 EarthNow: AUDIO December 2014 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 December 2014 was 4.1% below the 1981-2010 average, making it the ninth smallest December sea ice extent since satellite records began in 1979.

• In Antarctica, the sea ice extent was 9.8% above the 1981-2010 average, the fourth largest on record for the month of December.

Seasonal Outlooks

Be sure to check out the 3-month seasonal outlooks for February – April.

• Global Temperature Outlook
• Global Precipitation Outlook
• U.S. Drought Outlook

Where do I find the datasets?

• First, check your SOS system to make sure it’s not already in the EarthNow category.

• If not, you can download the datasets and playlist files from this FTP Site.

• 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.

• More detailed information here

Helpful Resources for More Information

• http://go.wisc.edu/3nd6pg National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)

• http://go.wisc.edu/9y2618 About ENSO (El Niño/La Niña)

• 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/.