March 2012: warmest in U.S. history
Not only was March 2012 the warmest March in the U.S. since record keeping began in 1895, it was also the second most extreme month for warmth in U.S. history, said NOAA yesterday, in their monthly "State of the Climate" report. The average temperature of 51.1°F was 8.6 degrees above the 20th century average for March, and 0.5°F warmer than the previous warmest March in 1910. Of the more than 1,400 months that have passed since the U.S. weather records began in 1895, only one month--January 2006--had a larger departure from its average temperature than March 2012. A remarkable 25 states east of the Rockies had their warmest March on record, and an additional 15 states had a top-ten warmest March. Only four states were cooler than average, with Alaska being the coldest (tenth coldest March on record.)
Figure 1. Temperature rankings for March 2012 in the Contiguous U.S. Twenty five states set records for warmest March in the 118-year records (red colors.) Image credit: NOAA.
March 2012: most daily records broken of any month since July 1936
A wunderground analysis of weather records from NOAA's National Climatic Data Center temperature record database reveals that more daily high temperature records were broken in March in 2012 than for any month except July 1936, going back at least 100 years. Fully 11.3% of all daily high temperature records for the month of March in the U.S. are now held by the year 2012, for the 550 stations in NOAA's National Climatic Data Center database that have weather records extending back at least 100 years. The only month in U.S. history holding a higher percentage of daily temperatures records is July 1936. That month holds 14.4% of all the U.S. high temperature records for the month of July. That month occurred in the great Dust Bowl summer of 1936, the hottest summer in U.S. history.
Summer in March 2012: records not merely smashed, but obliterated
Among the 15,000 daily records for warmth set in March 2012 were 21 truly astonishing ones: cases where the low temperature for the day beat the previous high temperature for the day. It is quite rare for a weather station with a 50+ year period of record to break a daily temperature record by more than 10°F. During "Summer in March, 2012", beating daily records by 10° - 20°F was commonplace, and NOAA lists 44 cases where a daily record was broken by more than 22°F. Extraordinarily, four stations broke a record for the date by 30°F or more. Canada holds the most surreal record of this nature during the "Summer in March, 2012" heat wave: Western Head, Nova Scotia hit 29.2°C (85°F) on March 22, breaking their previous record for the date (10.6°C in 1969) by 18.6°C (33.5°F.) Canada also had several stations break their all-time warmest April temperature records in March.
Last 3 months and 12 months were the warmest on record
The previous 12-month period (April 2011 -March 2012), which includes the second hottest summer (June-August) and fourth warmest winter (December-February), was the warmest such period for the contiguous United States. The year-to-date period (January - March) was also the warmest on record. NOAA's U.S. Climate Extremes Index, an index that tracks the highest 10 percent and lowest 10 percent of extremes in temperature, precipitation, and drought, was 39 percent, nearly twice the long-term average and the highest value on record for the January - March period. The predominant factor was the large area experiencing extremes in warm daily maximum and minimum temperatures.
Analyzing the "Summer in March, 2012" heat wave
Dr. Martin Hoerling of NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder has posted a thorough analysis of the heat wave, which he calls, "Meteorological March Madness 2012". He explains that the event was probably a natural phenomenon, one that was predicted more than a month in advance by NOAA's long-range CFS model. A similar, though not as intense heat wave occurred in March 1910. However, he notes that the approximate 0.5 - 1°C warming in the Ohio Valley/Midwest U.S. in recent decades--due to human-caused emission of heat trapping gases like carbon dioxide--has significantly increased the odds of major heat waves occurring. He speculates that the odds of a 1-in-40 year heat wave in the Midwest may have increased by about 50% due to human-caused global warming, but that we really don't know how much global warming may have increased the odds of the March 2012 heat wave, saying "This issue of estimating reliable statistics of extreme, rare events continues to be a matter of active research." He estimates that human-caused global warming likely increased the intensity of the March 12 - 23, 2012 heat wave by about 5 - 10%, and concludes by saying, "The probability of heatwaves is growing as [human-caused] warming continues to progress. But there is always the randomness."
Jeff Masters
Reader Comments
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Now they won't.
Want to know why?
Because everyone will die from the warming and other side effects before humans actually finish burning them.
You learn something every day. :)
You no what that means
ALIENS
No nobody's gonna die this isn't a movie.
Yes, the world is always changing, but people.."man" hasn't changed. We are a greedy and ignorant species and believe you me, and those that be will do all they can to make sure we pay for every last drop of oil in this earth before we dare go to another source of money...I mean fuel...
Lol. Nea is somewhat of a celeb on the blog. Some people just love to hate him.
My pe teacher read a book called the lie my teachers told me and he told us that
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1152 AM CDT TUE APR 10 2012
GMZ630-650-655-670-675-111200-
MOBILE BAY-
COASTAL WATERS FROM PENSACOLA FL TO PASCAGOULA MS OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM DESTIN TO PENSACOLA FL OUT 20 NM-WATERS FROM
PENSACOLA FL TO PASCAGOULA MS FROM 20 TO 60 NM-WATERS FROM DESTIN TO
PENSACOLA FL FROM 20 TO 60 NM-
1152 AM CDT TUE APR 10 2012
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE COASTAL
WATERS OF ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA.
.DAY ONE...REST OF TODAY AND TONIGHT
A MODERATE TO STRONG OFFSHORE FLOW WILL DEVELOP OVER THE MARINE AREA
LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY. HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR SMALL
CRAFT CAN BE EXPECTED MOSTLY WELL OFFSHORE LATE TONIGHT.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY
A STRONGER OFFSHORE FLOW WILL REDEVELOP OVER THE MARINE AREA
WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY THURSDAY. HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR
SMALL CRAFT CAN BE EXPECTED.
A MODERATE TO STRONG ONSHORE FLOW IS EXPECTED OVER THE MARINE AREA
LATE FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR SMALL
CRAFT CAN BE EXPECTED.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
ACTIVATION OF SKYWARN SEVERE STORM SPOTTER NETWORKS IS NOT
EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY.
$$
Actually, a 1 manned, self-sustained solar flight for over 24 hours has been accomplished in Europe using an airplane powered by 4 ~10 horse-power electric motors turning the props.
The craft was able to power up it's batteries during the day, fly through the night, and then re-charge the batteries and land on the ground with a higher charge than when they started.
By combining solar powered electric engines and helium-based dirigibles, you could handle commercial passenger transports at virtually no energy cost with more than adequate lifting power, particularly since you wouldn't even need fuel or solar power for lift-off due to buoyancy.
If you added the ability to have a sail on the dirigible, you could use wind power to further supplement it and gain tremendously. If the wind blows in the wrong direction, pull the sails and power up the solar electric engines.
This is 100 years old technology and it's orders of magnitude cheaper and more efficient than what we do today.
It would cost almost nothing in energy cost to do a round trip across the atlantic or even around the world.
Our energy problem is almost entirely caused by corporate greed, "NIMBY" and just plain failure of imagination.
Ironically, it is our greedy nature that will make us switch to solar energy. Humans are cheap, and most will always try to get as much as they can with their money. Why would people, in rich countries, keep buying or using oil when solar will be so much cheaper?
On the other hand, I'm sure third world countries will still be using oil and coal for decades to come but the percentage of the total global energy they consume is quite low.
will do all they can to make sure we pay for every last drop of oil in this earth
Who will make sure?
Did you bring enough to share with everyone?
I'm actually a little worried about my peaches this year. Last year, I had 2 dozen VERY sweet and juicy peaches (albeit somewhat small) from my back yard. This year, the blossoms have been very sparse, and the tree is already leafing out (last year, the blossoms all popped at once, and the leaves came out afterwards). I suspect my peach harvest will be rather lacking this year.
Yes. There is a troll who is repeatedly permabanned and repeatedly comes back under a new pseudonym. (And no, Internet address blocks can't work except on honest people.)
The modus operandi is always the same: attempts to turn normal conversations (usually about predictions) between regulars into heated arguments, then into flamewars.
1) Acts fawning (and/or "protective") toward one regular while dissing another. (More often than not, when that reaches the "attempting to start a flamewar" level, it's been targeted at Neapolitan).
2) Totally mischaracterizes the degree of disagreement. As you can see, there was nothing that could be described as even vaguely approaching a heated argument or a strong clash there. It was just a polite exchange of ideas.
There are other spoor marks which denote the troll's signature, but I'm not gonna list them lest they tempt other wannabees into doing the same.
The greeks overall were right, but they weren't trusted until the age of colonialism.
The europeans were very superstitious about the world and there were fears about that it was flat "because god made it so". "Greeks were so long ago, how could they be right?"
Christopher Columbus thought it was roughly 1-2,000 miles to Japan from the Canaries when he set sail for his first voyage because of the different measuring systems used since the Greeks made the calculation.
Here's an interesting article to pass the time with-
Gravity Is Climate': 10 Years of Climate Research Satellites GRACE
I hope not!!!
TIA...
Afternoon, everybody, BTW [forgot my manners!]
You can't seriously be using this kind of argument. By that logic, you shouldn't worry about a cancer diagnosis since it's "just a few cells" when compared to the rest of your body.
You're justification has absolutely zero scientific basis.
Nothing heated at all is correct. I was posting the models that day showing the cold and he was imputing his ideas of why he felt it wouldn't be all that bad. It was a nice discussion which other participated as well.
I'll try my best!!
It has zero scientific basis because Chucktown is trolling, and getting LOTS of bites. I was only mocking him in my response.
I would
Incorrect. Global warming is expected to have a notable death toll, mainly in underdeveloped nations not capable of handling the changes. Droughts, floods, disease migrations, pest migrations, etc. will take an ever increasing toll on the world's population.
It won't be the end of the world. Everyone isn't going to die. But there will be consequences
And it's getting more overcast here. I thought the wx wasn't supposed to change again until Thursday...
Yes,another spring day with plenty of rain here.
Do u think the Bahamas will get a development over them
This has been the case the last few years but then when you think were doomed a trough comes out of nowhere and sets up near the eastern US basically steering everything away (except Irene). I agree though this year will be interesting as i think we may have several storms targeting the US from the Caribbean. It could be a pattern where the CV storms go further south this year due a stronger Bermuda setting up in the C Altantic (instead over the eastern US to just east of bermuda) and end in the Caribbean before either recurving up toward the US coast or ramming into C America.
There may not be a lot but the ones that do form may find themselves traversing the Caribbean.
I wish someone would..this blog is hard to tolerate most of the time and best believe when hurricane season starts, the climate change discussion wont.."THEY" did it last year.. I have never put anyone on ignore except the pornography and spam people but I think this season I am going to have too make a change. Most of the people who discuss climate change never win an argument. All they do is post articles after articles with not a soul conceding defeat or acknowledgment of the others point. I will be back later if action starts in OK or Texas. I have been here longer than most and I have earned my "say" on this blog but some of the climate change people I am really starting to consider as TROLLS!
Those two storms are just perfect storms
Oh I wont leave..I am just going to take advantage of the ignore system, something I refuse to do in the past but it looks like I am going to have to. I will be back later though.
Excellent observation. I agree...
Sorry ncstorm:/
Anita
Gloria
Charley
Allison
Dolly
Gustav
Humberto
Andrea
Carla
Alma
Ella
Cindy..and much much more
Anything is possible here. But given the early warming, plus the climatology that gives a number of June storms a start in this area, I wouldn't be surprised.
We got gipped last week in regards to storms but there is more hope on the horizon. I know this is long range (ie next week) but you get the idea that things may actually get active rain wise over FL in about 9 to 10 days.
That was my thoughts too
The weakness, of course, is in the understanding of what HASN'T happened so far in our record. But let's not act like the record is meaningless.
On this blog history repeats itself over and over and over again.
90F, 55% humidity, Heat Index 96F, wind 14mph east.
Hot !
I've tagged 90 back in Late February in Orlando while the offical reporting site OIA hit 90 back on 3/2/2012. Infact it's 87 right now with 46% humidity.
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