NOAA no surprises! January was 3rd warmest on record for the globe: Sea ice extents in Arctic: Antarctic hit record lows

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have issued their first monthly global weather report for 2017 and not surprisingly January was 3rd warmest on record for the globe

They go on to write: If the climate records of late 2016 were any indication, January 2017’s balmy global temperatures — and record-small polar ice extents — will come as no surprise. 

Although I must stress here in Holland, January felt much colder than it has been in recent years and for big chunks of January the parts of the  Mediterranean countries where actually colder than the North Pole which I suppose confirms what NOAA are claiming! Most parts of Europe had their coldest January since 2010.

Credit NOAA Click on image to enlarge

Below are highlights of NOAA’s report…

January’s average global temperature was 1.58 degrees F above the 20th century average of 53.6 degrees, according to the analysis by scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. This was the third highest for January in the 1880-2017 record, behind 2016 (highest) and 2007 (second highest).

More noteworthy findings for January included:

Record-low sea ice extent at the poles

 The average Arctic sea ice extent was 8.6 percent below the 1981-2010 average for January, and the average Antarctic sea ice extent was 22.8 percent below the 1981-2010 average. For both regions this was the smallest January sea ice extent since the satellite record began in 1979.

Above-average snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere

The Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent was the sixth largest in the 51-year period of record. North America had its 13th largest and Eurasia had its seventh largest.

Warmer-than-average lands and oceans

Credit NOAA Click on image to enlarge

The globally averaged sea surface temperature was the second highest January on record, 1.17 degree F above average.

The globally averaged land surface temperature was the third highest January on record, 2.77 degrees F above average.

Continents experienced temperature highs and lows

North America had its fourth warmest January on record; South America had its second; Asia tied as sixth; Oceania had its 13th; and Africa had its 21st. Cooler-than-average conditions engulfed much of Europe in January, which had its coldest winter since 2010.

Full Report Here

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