19 June 2012

Incredible Global Warmth Continues In May

Posted by Dan Satterfield

From NOAA-NCDC

 

June here in Maryland has gotten about 2 degrees warmer (F) over the past century.

From NCDC:

  • The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for May 2012 was 0.66°C (1.19°F) above the 20th century average of 14.8°C (58.6°F). This is the second warmest May since records began in 1880, behind only 2010.
  • The Northern Hemisphere land and ocean average surface temperature for May 2012 was the all-time warmest May on record, at 0.85°C (1.53°F) above average.
  • The globally-averaged land surface temperature for May 2012 was the all-time warmest May on record, at 1.21°C (2.18°F) above average.
  • ENSO-neutral conditions continued during May 2012 and sea surface temperature anomalies in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean continued to warm. The May worldwide ocean surface temperatures ranked as the 10th warmest May on record.

The seasons first real heat wave in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic is about to arrive with heat indexes over 100 by mid-week from Boston to Baltimore and Washington.  It will be a drastic change for those in the Northeast U.S. since it was unusually cool last weekend. Here in Maryland, temperatures were in the upper 40’s at sunrise Monday, but it will not last! Highs will reach the mid 90’s by Thursday afternoon with a dramatic increase in humidity.

Perhaps the most telling statistic of all is from Steve Scolnik over at Capital Climate. All 13 May’s this century were in the top 14 on record. It highlights just how ridiculous the claim that the planet has stopped warming really is. If anyone tells you this line, you are being give political propaganda and not science.

Just how unusually warm has this spring been? Take a look at the chart below for Baltimore. Every year of record is plotted. Click the image for a larger view.

Last but not least the NSIDC May Arctic ice update:

A quick check on the latest satellite data indicates that the melt season, while slow to start, has increased dramatically.