NOAA Still Expecting a Warmer than Normal Autumn

While much of the United States is currently experiencing cooler than average temperatures, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is expecting autumn as a whole to be warmer than normal for much of the country. The southeastern United States is also expected to receive more precipitation than normal. Read on for more information.

U.S. Temperature Outlook

U.S. Temperature Outlook • Animation not work? Click HereStill Map Image

U.S. Temperature Outlook

  • Sea Surface Temperatures in the ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) region suggest continued neutral conditions, but may be giving way to an El Niño by the end of the summer or early fall, according to the Climate Prediction Center.
  • For the October – December period, warmer than normal temperatures are expected across from the desert southwest up through the northern and central plains and into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states. Northern Alaska is also expected to be warmer than normal. Below normal temperatures aren’t expected for anywhere in the U.S.
  • All other locations (in white) have equal chances of being warmer or cooler than normal.
  • Outlook by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC)
  • In its forecasts, the CPC uses a wide variety of models in conjunction with looking at climate variables (like El Niño).
  • It should be noted that areas in the “warmer than normal” region may still have cooler than normal days. This outlook only suggests that after the three months are over, those areas in the “warmer than normal” region are more likely to have experienced warmer than normal average temperatures.
U.S. Precipitation Outlook

U.S. Precipitation Outlook • Animation not work? Click HereStill Map Image

U.S. Precipitation Outlook

  • For the next three months (October – December), drier than normal conditions are expected for the Pacific Northwest.
  • Wetter than normal conditions are expected in the Southeastern U.S., as well as northern Alaska.
  • All other locations (in white) have equal chances of being wetter or drier than normal.
  • Outlook by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC)
  • In its forecasts, the CPC uses a wide variety of models in conjunction with looking at climate variables (like El Niño).
  • It should be noted that areas be in the “drier than normal” region may still have rainy days. This outlook only suggests that after the three months are over, those areas in the “drier than normal” region are more likely to have experienced drier than normal averages.

Where do I find the datasets?

  • First, check your SOS system to make sure they are not already in the EarthNow category. There is also an earthnow.sos playlist file that includes a playlist with all of these datasets.
  • If not, you can download the datasets and playlist files from this FTP Site.

Helpful Resources for More Information

Credit(s):
CIMSS/SSEC, UW-Madison
NOAA Climate Prediction Center
References:
NOAA Climate Prediction Center, 3-month Outlook Discussion, http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/90day/fxus05.html
NOAA Climate Prediction Center, 3-month Outlook Maps, http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/
Category: U.S. Outlook
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August 2012 Fourth Warmest on Record

After the fourth warmest July on record, the combined global land and ocean temperature for August 2012 was 0.62°C (1.12°F) above the 20thcentury average of 15.6°C (60.1°F), making it the fourth warmest August on record (since 1880).

August 2012 Global Temperature Anomalies

August 2012 Global Temperature Anomalies • Animation not work? Try here. • Still Map Image

August 2012 also marks the 36th consecutive August and 330th consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20th century average.

The Northern Hemisphere land surface temperature for June – August 2012 was the warmest such period on record.

Stay tuned for more August 2012 climate information in the coming days.

Helpful Resources for More Information

Credits:
Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, UW-Madison
NOAA Environmental Visualization Lab
References:
NOAA National Climatic Data Center, State of the Climate: Global Analysis for August 2012, published online September 2012, retrieved on September 17, 2012 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/2012/8.
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Arctic Sea Ice at Record Low

On August 26, the Arctic ice extent dropped below the previous record low daily extent, observed on September 18, 2007, of 4.17 million square kilometers (1.61 million square miles). Since then, the sea ice ice has dropped to below 4 million square kilometers (1.54 million square miles).

2012 vs. 2007 Sea Ice Comparison

2012 vs. 2007 Sea Ice Comparison • Animation not work? Click HereStill Map Image

2007 Sea Ice Comparison

  • This dataset visualization compares a recent sea ice extent image (August 26) with the 2007 sea ice minimum
  • The yellow/green line marks the 2007 sea ice minimum.
  • Note: Be sure to point out that Greenland is not a part of these sea ice calculations, as it is a land mass. The ice on Greenland is referred to as an ice sheet.

While the official 2012 minimum extent can’t be declared until the summer melt season is over (probably later this week), the final figure is expected to be lower than it currently is.

In 2012, the rate of ice loss for August was 91,700 square kilometers (35,400 square miles) per day, the fastest observed for the month of August since 1979 (when satellite monitoring began). In 2007, the August rate of ice melt was 66,000 square kilometers (25,400 square miles) per day. The average ice loss for August is 55,100 square kilometers (21,300 square miles) per day. Arctic air temperatures were slightly above to slightly below average, depending on location. Some of the ice loss can be attributed to a large cyclone near the East Siberian Sea, which helped to break up some of the ice.

According to NSIDC (National Snow and Ice Data Center) Director Mark Serreze, “The previous record, set in 2007, occurred because of near perfect summer weather for melting ice. Apart from one big storm in early August, weather patterns this year were unremarkable. The ice is so thin and weak now, it doesn’t matter how the winds blow. The Arctic used to be dominated by multiyear ice, or ice that stayed around for several years. Now it’s becoming more of a seasonal ice cover and large areas are now prone to melting out in summer.”

Where do I find the dataset?

  • First, check your SOS system to make sure it’s not already in the EarthNow category. There is also an earthnow.sos playlist file that includes a playlist with this dataset as well as the real-time snow and ice cover dataset.
  • If not, you can download the dataset and playlist files from this FTP Site.

Helpful Resources for More Information

Credits:
Visualizations: CIMSS/NOAA
Data: NSIDC
References:
NOAA Climate Watch Magazine, Arctic Sea Ice Breaks 2007 Record Low, published online August 27, 2012, retrieved on September 6, 2012 from http://www.climatewatch.noaa.gov/article/2012/arctic-sea-ice-breaks-2007-record-low.
NSIDC, Arctic Sea Ice Breaks Lowest Extent on Record, published online August 27, 2012, retrieved on September 7, 2012 from http://nsidc.org/news/press/20120827_2012extentbreaks2007record.html.
NSIDC, Arctic Sea Ice Falls Below 4 Million Square Kilometers, published online September 5, 2012, retrieved on September 10, 2012 from http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2012/09/arctic-sea-ice-falls-below-4-million-square-kilometers/.
Category: Climate
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