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Paul Yeager

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March Temperatures: Record Warmth U.S., But Coolest Globally Since 1999

Posted: 04/19/2012 8:47 am

While more than 15,000 warm temperatures records were broken in the United States in March, global temperatures were the coolest since 1999, according to NOAA climate statistics.

The warmth across the United States was widespread and intense, especially across the eastern two-thirds of the nation. Many states -- 25 to be exact -- recorded their warmest March in the 118 years of such records, and it was the warmest March on record for the contiguous United States.

It was also warmer than average across much of western Europe.

Globally, however, the story was much different, with widespread cooler-than-average temperatures in Alaska, Australia, eastern and western Russia, and parts of New Zealand balancing the intense heat across much of North America and parts of Europe to some extent, according to NOAA's global climate report for March.

2012-04-19-global_temps_mar12.gif
The combined global average temperature over land and ocean surfaces for March was 55.7 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the coolest since 1999 and the 16th warmest on record. The temperature was 0.83 degrees F above the 20th century average.

The balancing of U.S. warmth by relatively cool weather globally in March is a trend that has continued throughout the first three months of 2012.

For the year to date, the average global land- and sea-surface temperature was 0.70 degrees F above the 20th century average, which is both the coolest since 1996 and the 21st warmest such period on record. Meanwhile, across the contiguous United States, the first three months were the warmest on record, with temperatures averaging 6.0 degrees above the 20th century average.

The exceptional warmth across the eastern United States provided the fuel for an early-month tornado outbreak that killed 40; the tornado outbreak was the first billion-dollar-plus weather disaster of 2012.

 
 
 
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While more than 15,000 warm temperatures records were broken in the United States in March, global temperatures were the coolest since 1999, according to NOAA climate statistics. The warmth across th...
While more than 15,000 warm temperatures records were broken in the United States in March, global temperatures were the coolest since 1999, according to NOAA climate statistics. The warmth across th...
 
 
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Le Roi Sans Sa Reine
Do what you love, love what you do!
02:32 AM on 04/23/2012
Last year in FL we had 21 below freezing nights (14 in a row). This year I wore a sweater only twice and walked on the beach the rest of the time. There is just too much inconsistency for me to accept the notion of climate change. I think Mother nature does what she wants when she wants and, like any woman, laughs at us when we arrogantly think we finally understand her.
11:26 AM on 04/22/2012
I like "hearing" from both sides ( this forum) because it's, "quieter" than in person arguments LOL. What saddens me is when formally getting along folks turn on each other because of different views. Myself, I'm kind of on the fence because I follow both Fox and CNN. and the statistics can be manipulated easily. I recall a study at work which stated that because 40% of employees rated the place as above average and 20% voted OK, that added up to 60% happy.or..Could it be that 40% voting unhappy and 20% just OK means 60% are disatisfied?As far as Global warming goes, it seems some people just want to argue for fun? When it gets to red glaring eyes, loud voices, and near coming to blows, ( Ever watch Yankee and Red Sox fans in the same room? Over a game! ) any wonder humans can't stop fighting wars? My take is: I really am not100% for sure, and neither is anyone else it seems, so why hate on a disagreeing person? After all, if you live near a farm it's hard to disagree that cows are responsible or most of the Methane out there, but in a city, not so much? All I know for sure is: I'm not throwing out my snow shovel OR my A/C unit just yet. And I'll try my best to be civil with any "IDIOT" who dares to disagree with me. LOL?
MGhamma
Reality is 100% biased!
11:04 PM on 04/21/2012
Two La Nina years in a row will do that.
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flipacoin
Heads they win, tails we lose.
10:57 AM on 04/21/2012
All the CO2 excess must have been over the United States. Also we must swallow the idea that twenty degrees above average south of the jet stream and 20 degrees below average north of the jet stream IS PROOF of climate change because it 'fits' the weather extremes scenario so adaptly predicted by warmist. It doesn't average out to 'zero' or 'average' but EXTREME.
11:12 PM on 04/21/2012
"we must swallow the idea that twenty degrees above average south of the jet stream and 20 degrees below average north of the jet stream IS PROOF of climate change"

Ridiculous straw man. Nobody has said that except you.

What scientists are saying is that the rapid warming in the Arctic and resultant loss of sea ice may be affecting the jet stream. In and of itself, this is not "proof" of climate change. It is however, another piece of the bigger picture.

"The loss of Arctic summer sea ice and the rapid warming of the Far North are altering the jet stream over North America, Europe, and Russia. Scientists are now just beginning to understand how these profound shifts may be increasing the likelihood of more persistent and extreme weather."

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/linking_weird_weather_to_rapid_warming_of_the_arctic/2501/

Skip to 2:28 in the video for more explanation
http://www.yaleclimatemediaforum.org/2012/04/videos-probe-climate-changeextreme-weather-puzzles/
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OOOOOMY
11:16 AM on 04/20/2012
I believe I heard glacers were expanding from Fox somewhere, and ask myself if this is so, where does the real truth lie? or is this just another of those pesky Mother Nature intrusions?
In any event, here are a few links to check out, for I am sure Al and the 'Overwhelming Consensus of Scientists' are in a tizzy about this.
Why even Nasa Scientists not sold.
Could these recent additions and all the others be far right whack jobs?
Copy and Paste:
#1 Scientists denounce NASA's 'Unproven Remarks' on Global Warming
# 250 Former Astronauts and Scientists Denounce NASA Stance on ...
#3 12 more glaciers that haven't heard the news about global warming
#4 Warming? Karakoram glaciers are expanding - Times Of India
#5Growing Glaciers
#6List of expanding glaciers
#7If global warming is real, why are the glaciers expanding
#8Largest Tide Water Glacier In N. America Greatly Expanding
#9Evidence of glaciers expanding in size - Environment - ...
11:55 PM on 04/21/2012
"I believe I heard glacers were expanding from Fox somewhere..."

Did you know that at least seven studies* show that Fox viewers are the most misinformed?

If you get your information from real science sources instead of from Fox, you'd know that the world's ice is undeniably melting. About 148 billion tons of annual land ice loss is from glaciers and ice caps outside of Greenland and Antarctica and 385 billion tons of annual land ice loss is from Greenland and Antarctica -- a total of more than 530 billion tons. The annual ice loss is now accelerating rapidly. (Jacob et al, 2012) The total global land ice mass lost during the study period (2003 - 2010) was about 4.3 trillion tons, adding roughly 0.5 inches to global sea level.

If you take this together with the loss of sea ice measured by satellites since 1979, there is only one reasonable conclusion: melting ice due to increased global temperatures.

Peter Hadfield produced a short video on how the Jacob et al paper was misrepresented in the denier press which is no doubt, where you got your information. Watch how the media managed to focus on the Himalayan glaciers while ignoring more than 99% of the rest of the world's ice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJSA0iZ_xeA

*http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2011/11/22/374434/fox-news-viewers-misinformed-study-jon-stewart/
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OOOOOMY
03:56 AM on 04/22/2012
Really? Thank you guess why they are rated highest of all cable news now for years
For Your information for what it is worth of course. Dedicated to "Progressive" ideas supported by the George Soros Media Matters and Far left David Brock.
Editors are Judd Legum and Christy Harvey and writer David Sirota
This group is indeed a far left radical site created in 2003 as a left-leaning alternative to think tank
as a 501(c)(3) organization under U.S. Internal Revenue Code. The institute receives approximately $25 million per year in funding from a variety of sources, including individuals, foundations, and corporations, but it declines to release any information on the sources of its funding. No funders are listed on its website or in its Annual Report. From 2003 to 2007, the center received about $15 million in grants from 58 foundations. Major individual donors include George Soros, Peter Lewis, Steve Bing, and Herb and Marion Sandler. The Center receives undisclosed sums from corporate donors
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OOOOOMY
04:02 AM on 04/22/2012
Keme, and anyone else for that matter, this may be of further interest to you but then again it may not. Look out all this information:

Is ThinkProgress web site Socialist/Communist influenced? - AOL Search Results
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fumes
Midnight Toker
11:18 PM on 04/19/2012
not surprised!

and then there's this:

State of Himalayan glaciers less alarming than feared
April 19th, 2012 Scientists confirm that the shrinkage scenarios for Himalayan glaciers published in the last IPCC report were exaggerated.
http://phys.org/print254064558.html
04:08 PM on 04/23/2012
Of course, this contrarian website takes this report completely out of context. Here is the actual quote from the abstract in Science:

Himalayan glaciers are a focus of public and scientific debate. Prevailing uncertainties are of major concern because some projections of their future have serious implications for water resources. Most Himalayan glaciers are losing mass at rates similar to glaciers elsewhere, except for emerging indications of stability or mass gain in the Karakoram.

Note the statement that overall the glaciers are losing mass, with only one possible exception. In fact, the article confirms that overall glaciers are shrinking. The only question is when, not if, this will threaten water supplies if the trend continues.
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grappler1987
Heaven is a gift, not a reward
07:25 PM on 04/19/2012
"•In Antarctica, the South Pole station reported above-average temperatures during March 2012, with an average temperature of -51.2°C (-60.2°F), which is 2.8°C (5.0°F) above average. On March 8th, a new daily maximum temperature record was set when temperatures soared to -32.3°C (-26.1°F), surpassing the previous record of -33.9°C (-29.0°F) set in 1965."

Blistering hot! :)
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grappler1987
Heaven is a gift, not a reward
07:18 PM on 04/19/2012
Got to say ... the warm March felt good. Got lots of exercise.
03:39 PM on 04/19/2012
Yeager's going down the up escalator with his monthly denials of CAGW. Go learn some science, weatherman.

SkS once again comes to our aid:-
http://skepticalscience.com/global-surface-warming-since-1995.html
03:37 PM on 04/19/2012
Trust, chief denier Yeager to pick NOAA records. 98% of climate scientists know that GISTEMP is the only accurate temperature provider due to them being the only provider that measures surface temperature globally including polar regions.
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Jim Milks
Ecologist
01:14 PM on 04/20/2012
GISTEMP confirms that last month was the coldest March since 1999
(http://bit.ly/HNIMLY), with March 2009 being the second coldest March since 1999. Interestingly enough, UAH data shows that March 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2009, and 2011were all colder than March 2012 (http://bit.ly/HTcGwY). Of course, coldest March since 2011 doesn't have much of a ring to it.

I'd like to see what his temperature anomalies map would show if he used an earlier baseline than 1971-2000 (like, say, 1880-1910 or 1950-1980) but that's an argument for another day.
02:04 PM on 04/22/2012
UAH data is from that other denier who believes that dinosaurs built the Ark, Dr Roy Spencer. Even if GISTEMP reckons it was colder in March, that's only 1 month, everybody knows anything less than 30 years isn't science.
02:06 PM on 04/19/2012
Could it be Earth is more clever than us? Yes we are putting heat trapping gases into thbe atmosphere, but maybe we underestimate the planets resilience? Maybe she is tougher broad than we all give her credit for!
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SallyMaclennane
Yes I did build that!
01:25 PM on 04/19/2012
But how can that be? CO2 amounts continue to rise.
03:57 PM on 04/19/2012
Natural variability can go on for decades.
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Jim Milks
Ecologist
01:19 PM on 04/20/2012
Here. Read this. You might learn something:

http://tamino.wordpress.com/2012/04/05/decadal-trend-in-temperature/#more-4832
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09:16 AM on 04/19/2012
NNNNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!! Our trumped up science claims are melting!!!!!!
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lbsaltzman
Permaculture and Sustainability
10:43 AM on 04/19/2012
No they are not. Despite an intense La Nina we are still relatively warm and global warming continues unabated. One year is not a trend.
02:08 PM on 04/19/2012
'One year is not a trend"

Unless it ca be used to promote climate change! Only the climate changers get to take a small sample and extrapolate it to some ridiculous and overreacting conclusion! How dare you try to do what we have done for years!
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mbkeefer
Elder Amateur Scientist
04:42 PM on 04/19/2012
One month in not a trend and it was still warmer than the long term average.