State of the Climate
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Climatic Data Center
Use the form below to access monthly reports.
Selected National Highlights for January 2010
- Temperature Highlights - January
- The
January 2010 temperature for the contiguous United States was 31.1 degrees F, which is 0.3 degreesabove the long-term average.
- The cold arctic air that dominated the contiguous U.S. in late 2009 moderated by the middle of January, creating a nationally-averaged temperature that was near the January long-term mean.
- The prevailing upper-level pattern held temperatures below normal in the Central, South, and Southeast
climate regions. Meanwhile, the Northwest climate region experienced its fifth warmest January on record. The West and Northeast regions were also above normal in terms of average temperature.
- The western ridge and eastern trough pattern was well defined on the
state level, where temperatures were much above normal in Washington and Oregon; each experiencing their fourth warmest January. Idaho and Maine also observed much above normal temperatures. Conversely, a vast area east of the Rocky Mountains were below normal in terms of temperature. Florida had its tenth coolest January, the third consecutive below normal January for the state.
- Based on NOAA's Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index (REDTI), the contiguous U.S. temperature-related energy demand was 1.3 percent above average for January.
- Precipitation Highlights - January
January precipitation, averaged across the contiguous U.S., was slightly above the long-term mean, at 2.42 inches.-
Regionally, the Southeast, Southwest, and West experienced above normal precipitation for the month. Each of the six remaining climate regions had a near-normal January.
- On the
statewide level, substantial rain and snow in the southwest states of New Mexico and Arizona helped alleviate long-term precipitation deficits, and greatly reduced drought conditions.
Arizona's 3.26 inches of precipitation represented its fifth wettest January, and
New Mexico's averaged of 1.26 inches was its seventh wettest. Conversely,
Michigan experienced its eighth driest January on record.
- The
past three month period was anomalously wet for the Southeast. Both 
North Carolina and 
Virginia experienced their wettest November-January on record. Much above normal precipitation also fell in South Carolina, which experienced its third wettest, Georgia's (5th), Alabama's (6th), and Maryland's (9th) wettest such periods. On the flip-side, 
Wyoming experienced its second driest and it was 
Idaho's ninth driest such period on record.
- Record wetness occurred in several states during the
six-month period of August-January.
Delaware,
Maryland,
Georgia,
Alabama, and
Arkansas all had their wettest such period. In addition, ten other states averaged much above normal precipitation that ranked in the top eight since record keeping began.
- The extreme wetness can be traced back to the
12-month period of February 2009 through January 2010. On this time frame,
Illinois,
Arkansas, and
Alabama each experienced record wetness. The nation as a whole had its ninth wettest such period.
- Other Items of Note
- An intense extra-tropical cyclone with heavy precipitation and hurricane force winds hit the west coast on the 21st and 22nd, setting record low barometric pressures from Oregon to Arizona. The pressure in Eureka, CA dropped to 978 mb, breaking the previous record set in 1891. Los Angeles, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, and Phoenix all broke low pressure records during the storm.
- A large winter storm brought significant snow and ice to the southern U.S. on the 28th through 30th, affecting the busy Interstate 40 corridor from New Mexico to the Atlantic Coast. Vast stretches of the interstate were forced to close, impacting commerce. Reports of snowfall over 10 inches and ice over 1 inch were widespread.
- By month's end, moderate-to-exceptional drought covered only 8.5 percent of the contiguous United States. This is the smallest drought footprint reported by the U.S. Drought Monitor since it became operational in 2000.
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Selected Global Highlights for 2010
- Global land and ocean annual surface temperatures through December tied with 2006 as the fifth warmest on record, at 0.56°C (1.01°F) above the 20th century average.
- The 2000-2009 decade is the warmest on record, with an average global surface temperature of 0.54°C (0.96°F) above the 20th century average. This shattered the 1990s value of 0.36°C (0.65°F).
- Ocean surface temperatures (through December) tied with 2002 and 2004 as the fourth warmest on record, at 0.48°C (0.86°F) above the 20th century average.
- Land surface temperatures through December tied with 2003 as the seventh warmest on record, at 0.77°C (1.39°F) above the 20th century average.
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Overview
The State of the Climate Report is a collection of monthly summaries recapping climate-related occurrences on both a global and national scale. The report is comprised of the following sections:
- Global
- Global Analysis — a summary of global temperatures, precipitation, snow cover and sea ice extent, placing the data into a historical perspective
- Global Hazards — a summary outlining weather-related hazards and disasters around the world
- El Niño/Southern Oscillation Analysis — a summary of atmospheric and oceanic conditions related to ENSO
- National
- National Overview — a summary of national and regional temperature and precipitation, placing the data into a historical perspective
- Drought — a summary of drought in the U.S.
- U.S. Wildfire — a summary of weather and climate conditions related to wildland fires in the U.S.
- Hurricanes & Tropical Storms — a summary of hurricanes and tropical storms that affect the U.S. and its territories
- Snow & Ice — a summary of snow and ice in the U.S.
- Tornadoes — a summary of tornadic activity in the U.S.
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Questions?
For all climate questions, please contact the National Climatic Data Center's Climate Services and Monitoring Division:
Climate Services and Monitoring Division
NOAA/National Climatic Data center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: +1-828-271-4876
phone: +1-828-271-4800
email: ncdc.info@ncdc.noaa.gov
To request climate data, please E-mail:ncdc.orders@ncdc.noaa.gov
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