Thread: March and the first quarter of 2015 were Earth’s warmest on record

March and the first quarter of 2015 were Earth’s warmest on record

By Jason Samenow April 17

Temperature difference from normal over the globe during March (NOAA)

Earth, after experiencing its warmest year on record in 2014, has picked up right where it left off in 2015. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced today the globe had its warmest first quarter of the year on record in 2015, including its warmest March.

Incredibly, NOAA says seven of the last 11 months have tied or set new record high monthly temperatures.

The temperature averaged over the globe in March was 1.53F above the the 20th century average, besting March 2010 by 0.09F, the previous recordholder.

Earth’s average temperature for January through March was 1.48F above the 20th century average, passing the January-March period of 2002, the previous warmest first quarter.
NOAA temperature records date back to 1880.


Temperature differences from normal in March (NASA)

Independent global temperature analyses from both NASA and the Japan Meteorological Agency also found 2015’s first quarter was warmest on record, while March ranked 3rd warmest and warmest on record in the respective datasets.


Arctic sea ice time series of difference from long-term average in March (NOAA)

Coinciding with the elevated temperatures, NOAA reported Arctic sea ice extent was the smallest on record for the month of March (in records dating back to 1979), 7.2 percent below the 1981-2010 average.

During March, record warmth was achieved in parts of the western United States and Canada, and parts of eastern Africa, Scandinavia, northwest Russia, south central China and northeast Australia. In California, the 12 month period ending in March was the warmest on record, a record that has been bested every month, seven times in a row, since September 2014.

[West saw record warm start to year, Northeast saw record cold, NOAA says]

Very few land areas witnessed cooler than average temperatures in March, with the only notable pocket in northeast Canada where temperatures were 5F or more below average.

There is a strong chance record or near record warmth will continue over the globe for the remainder of the calendar year.

An El Nino event is underway, in which ocean temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific are warmer than normal. These events tend to transport heat around the globe and boost temperature levels.

The National Weather Service favors El Nino continuing into the summer and fall, and some independent forecasters believe it could strengthen into a moderate to strong event – which would result in the transfer of a great deal of heat from the oceans into the global atmosphere.

[Pacific may be primed for powerful El Nino ]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...est-on-record/

http://www.alipac.us/f19/western-can...2100-a-318948/