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Here's the latest from EarthNow…
This display shows the NOAA climate digest for December 2013.
The climate digest summarizes noteworthy statistics for the month, season, and year.
The average global land and ocean temperature for December was the third warmest since records
began in 1880.
In fact, Argentina had a persistent heat wave, causing several temperature records to be
broken.
However, the United States experienced its coldest December since 2009, and twenty-first
coldest since records began in 1895.
Meanwhile, Alaska experienced its fifth wettest December since records began in 1918.
On the other end of the precipitation spectrum, Australia had below average precipitation,
with Queensland experiencing its third driest December since records began in 1900.
Another warm area for December was Russia. In fact, the warmth led to the warmest November-December
period since 1900, when records began.
In mid-December, up to twenty inches of snow fell in Israel’s Jerusalem. This was unusually
early and intense for the region.
Finally, the United Kingdom and Germany both had warmer than normal months, with the U.K.
experiencing its warmest December since 1988.
This real-time dataset is updated monthly and shows the global land and ocean temperature
anomalies. Anomalies are simply departures from average.
Blue portions of the map, as seen in United States, indicate below average temperatures
throughout December 2013.
Red portions of the map, as seen in Russia, highlight regions around the world that experienced
above average warmth.
White indicates near average conditions.
This real-time dataset shows sea surface temperature anomalies measured by NOAA satellites. Blue
colors indicate cooler than normal ocean temperatures, whereas red indicates warmer than normal ocean
temperatures.
Globally, the ocean surface temperatures average was the seventh warmest December on record.
In the eastern tropical Pacific, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center predicts that neutral
El Niño – La Niña conditions will continue into the northern hemisphere summer.
This real-time dataset collected by microwave sensors on NOAA satellites shows snow and
ice cover updated daily. Watch the progression of days and note the retreat and expansion
of snowfall.
The December sea ice extent for the Arctic was the fourth lowest since satellite records
began in 1979.
Finally, we’ll move to Antarctica and discover that its sea ice extent was the second largest
on record.
And that’s your December 2013 climate digest!
For more information, please visit the website shown at the end of this video.