Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog

November 2012: Earth's 333rd consecutive warmer-than-average month
Posted by: Dr. Jeff Masters, 2:57 PM GMT on December 18, 2012 +39
November 2012 was the globe's 5th warmest November on record, said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) on Monday. NASA rated November 2012 the 2nd warmest November on record. Global temperature records begin in 1880. November 2012 global land temperatures were the 6th warmest on record, and global ocean temperatures were also the 6th warmest on record. Including this November, the 10 warmest Novembers have occurred in the past 12 years, and November 2012 was the 333rd consecutive month with global temperatures warmer than the 20th century average. The last time Earth had a below-average November global temperature was in 1976, and the last below-average month of any kind was February 1985--during the Reagan administration, when the cost of a first-class stamp was 20 cents. Global satellite-measured temperatures in November 2012 for the lowest 8 km of the atmosphere were 11th or 3rd warmest in the 34-year record, according to Remote Sensing Systems and the University of Alabama Huntsville (UAH), respectively. The September - October - November season of 2012 (fall in the Northern Hemisphere, spring in the Southern Hemisphere) was the globe's second warmest such period on record, behind 2005. The Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent during November 2012 was the fifth largest on record for the month, and marked the fourth consecutive November with above-average snow cover for the hemisphere. Wunderground's weather historian, Christopher C. Burt, has a comprehensive post on the notable weather events of November 2012 in his November 2012 Global Weather Extremes Summary.


Figure 1. Departure of temperature from average for November 2012, the 5th warmest November for the globe since record keeping began in 1880. The most unusual warmth was observed across parts of far eastern Russia, where temperatures were at least 5°C (9°F) above average for the month. Much warmer-than-average November temperatures, and even record warmth in several regions, were observed across the western United States, Mexico, Central and South America, eastern Russia, southeastern and western Asia, Australia, and most of Africa and Europe. Due to the near universal warmth in the Southern Hemisphere (with the exception of New Zealand), that region of the world observed its warmest November on record. In the Northern Hemisphere, cooler-than-average temperatures occurred across parts of central Asia, part of the eastern United States, and much of Alaska and western Canada. Nonetheless, the Northern Hemisphere land surface temperature ranked as the eighth warmest on record for November. Image credit: National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) .

Neutral El Niño conditions in the Pacific
Neutral El Niño conditions exist in the equatorial Pacific, where sea surface temperatures were 0.1°C below average as of December 17. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) expects neutral El Niño conditions to last through winter and into early spring. Temperatures in the equatorial Eastern Pacific need to be 0.5°C above average or warmer to be considered an El Niño.


Figure 2. Arctic sea ice extent in November 2012 was the third lowest since satellite records began in 1979. Image credit: National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).

Arctic sea ice falls to 3rd lowest November extent on record
Arctic sea ice extent during November reached its third lowest extent in the 35-year satellite record, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). Only the November sea ice extents in 2006 and 2010 were smaller. This was the 19th consecutive November and 138th consecutive month with below-average Arctic sea ice extent. I discussed this year's extraordinary loss of Arctic sea ice in my November 20, 2012 post, Earth's attic is on fire: Arctic sea ice bottoms out at a new record low.

A new weather station deal
Owning your own backyard weather station that can upload the data to wunderground is great, but does come with its hassles---one of them being the fact that you always need to leave your Internet-connected computer powered up. However, RainWise, Inc. has created a new plug & play weather station system that links directly to wunderground.com without the need to route the data through your computer. RainWise is offering a package to our users that includes a wireless, solar powered MK-lll-LR weather station and compact IP-100 Internet gateway which come fully assembled for quick and easy installation. The system is Rapid Fire enabled with a refresh rate of just 3 seconds, so you can upload your weather data directly to us without having to utilize a computer source. RainWise is offering this package at a discounted price of $999.99. For more information or to purchase the PWS, click here.

Jeff Masters
Categories: Climate Summaries
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601. RitaEvac 4:28 PM GMT on December 19, 2012    
Quoting RitaEvac:
Taz get dressed, we're going to Hooters


When this is said...you know the end of the world is Friday the 21st
Member Since: July 14, 2008 Posts: 1 Comments: 8903
602. bappit 4:31 PM GMT on December 19, 2012    
Evan is off the blog, but there still is http://www.fijitimes.com.

Interesting news style. I wonder if we'd be better off if our news stories were as terse as theirs.

The editorial was a bit longer and had the following good news.

"But if there was one thing that stood out, it would have to be that the people of Fiji heeded advice and warnings, and this is reflected in the fact that as of last evening, there were no casualties recorded by police.

"Perhaps that is a positive in the gloom inched out by Evan.

"As we rebuild our lives, let us take note of this and use it as a base to improve our lives.

"If it matters, many people made good personal decisions and have lived through a terrifying time."
Member Since: May 18, 2006 Posts: 3 Comments: 4373
603. WDEmobmet 4:39 PM GMT on December 19, 2012    
On a more not so distant note... Strong to possibly severe storms set to traverse the deep south tonight through early afternoon


A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA ON THURSDAY. WHILE THE LACK OF INSTABILITY WILL MAKE THE THREAT FOR WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER LOW...A FEW STRONG TO BRIEFLY SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY THURSDAY. LOCALIZED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT WITH ANY SEVERE STORMS THAT DEVELOP. IT WILL BECOME BREEZY TO WINDY OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IMMEDIATELY AHEAD OF THE FRONT THURSDAY MORNING AND BEHIND THE FRONT ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS COULD GUST AS HIGH AS 30 TO 35 MPH. WIND GUSTS THIS HIGH CAN CAUSE LIGHTWEIGHT OUTDOOR OBJECTS TO BE BLOWN ABOUT...ESPECIALLY HOLIDAY DECORATIONS. $$




Member Since: February 3, 2010 Posts: 0 Comments: 585
604. goosegirl1 4:39 PM GMT on December 19, 2012    



Hope this works... hahaha
Member Since: December 17, 2009 Posts: 0 Comments: 859
605. TropicalAnalystwx13 4:42 PM GMT on December 19, 2012    
Winter weather advisories, watches, and warnings are going up across the central USA as Winter Storm Draco heads for the region. The storm promises to be the most significant storm of the year.
Member Since: July 6, 2010 Posts: 89 Comments: 25292
606. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 4:43 PM GMT on December 19, 2012    
Quoting RitaEvac:


Excellent post, but how come the planetary system alignment is dead on track?


it was the aliens

lol

they told them
Member Since: July 15, 2006 Posts: 143 Comments: 40520
607. RitaEvac 4:48 PM GMT on December 19, 2012    
Quoting KEEPEROFTHEGATE:


it was the aliens

lol

they told them


Makes you wonder
Member Since: July 14, 2008 Posts: 1 Comments: 8903
608. LargoFl 4:50 PM GMT on December 19, 2012    
Quoting goosegirl1:



Hope this works... hahaha
you got it now..good work
Member Since: August 6, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 22426
609. LargoFl 4:51 PM GMT on December 19, 2012    
...SIGNIFICANT SNOW EXPECTED LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY
MORNING...

.A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TAKING SHAPE OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS TONIGHT
WILL MOVE NORTHEASTWARD INTO LOWER MICHIGAN BY THURSDAY
EVENING...BRINGING WIDESPREAD MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL TO MUCH OF
UPPER MICHIGAN. AREAS EAST OF A LINE FROM THE HURON MOUNTAINS TO
CRYSTAL FALLS WILL SEE 8 INCHES OR MORE OF SNOW WITH THIS
SYSTEM. IN ADDITION TO THE HEAVY SNOW...STRONG NORTH WINDS WILL
CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW FROM LATE THURSDAY THROUGH MUCH OF FRIDAY.
Member Since: August 6, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 22426
610. LargoFl 4:59 PM GMT on December 19, 2012    

"There apparently is a great deal of interest in celestial bodies, and their locations and trajectories at the end of the calendar year 2012. Now, I for one love a good book or movie as much as the next guy. But the stuff flying around through cyberspace, TV and the movies is not based on science. There is even a fake NASA news release out there..."
- Don Yeomans, NASA senior research scientist
Q: Is there a planet or brown dwarf called Nibiru or Planet X or Eris that is approaching the Earth and threatening our planet with widespread destruction?
A: Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an Internet hoax. There is no factual basis for these claims. If Nibiru or Planet X were real and headed for an encounter with the Earth in 2012, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye. Obviously, it does not exist. Eris is real, but it is a dwarf planet similar to Pluto that will remain in the outer solar system; the closest it can come to Earth is about 4 billion miles
Member Since: August 6, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 22426
611. LargoFl 5:00 PM GMT on December 19, 2012    
Member Since: August 6, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 22426
612. WunderAlertBot (Admin) 5:03 PM GMT on December 19, 2012    
JeffMasters has created a new entry.
613. pcola57 5:09 PM GMT on December 19, 2012    
Good Morning All,
Our sun looks beautiful this am..





Credit:SolarHam.com
Member Since: August 13, 2009 Posts: 13 Comments: 3817
614. MTWX 7:08 PM GMT on December 19, 2012    
Quoting RitaEvac:


Dec. 24th 2004


I was stationed in Biloxi then... Had enough snow to have a snowball fight!!!
Member Since: July 20, 2009 Posts: 22 Comments: 1215

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About JeffMasters
Jeff co-founded the Weather Underground in 1995 while working on his Ph.D. He flew with the NOAA Hurricane Hunters from 1986-1990.

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