Global Highlights:
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Contents of this Section: |
The data presented in this report are preliminary. Ranks and anomalies may change as more complete data are received and processed. The most current data may be accessed via the Global Surface Temperature Anomalies page. |
IntroductionTemperature anomalies for January 2007 are
shown on the dot maps below. The dot map, below left, provides a
spatial representation of anomalies calculated from the Global
Historical Climatology Network (GHCN) data set of land surface
stations using a 1961-1990 base period. The dot map, below right,
is a product of a merged land surface and sea surface temperature
anomaly analysis developed by Smith and Reynolds (2005).
Temperature anomalies with respect to the 1961-1990 mean for land
and ocean are analyzed separately and then merged to form the
global analysis. Additional information on this product is available.
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During January, there were above average
temperatures across Europe, Asia, western Africa, parts of South
America, and the northeast half of the United States. The
anomalously warm conditions over Europe and Russia led to the 2nd
lowest January snow cover extent on
record for the Eurasian continent. Cooler than average temperatures
were observed in eastern Russia, eastern Alaska, and the
southwestern contiguous U.S. Warmer than average Sea Surface
Temperatures (SSTs) occurred in the North Atlantic and the Niño
regions. SSTs decreased in the Niño regions during the
month of January, but were between 0.5°C and 1.0°C above
average. Please see the latest ENSO
discussion for additional information on the 2006/2007 El
Niño event.
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The mean position of upper level ridges of
high pressure and troughs of low pressure (depicted by positive and
negative 500-millibar height anomalies on the January map) are
generally reflected by areas of positive and negative temperature
anomalies at the surface, respectively. For other Global products
see the Climate Monitoring
Global Products page.
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Images of sea surface temperature conditions are available for all weeks during 2007 at the weekly SST page. |
Temperature Rankings and Graphics |
Effective with the January 2006 report, NCDC
transitioned from the use of the Operational Global Surface
Temperature Index (Quayle et al. 1999) to the
blended land and ocean dataset developed by Smith and Reynolds (2005).
The differences between the two methods are discussed in Smith et al. (2005).
Based on preliminary data, the global land and
ocean surface temperature for the month of January was 0.85°C
(1.53°F) warmer than the 20th century average of 12.0°C
(53.6°F), surpassing the previous record set in 2002, which was
0.71°C (1.28°F). The global land surface temperatures for
the month were warmest on record as well, with a departure of
1.89°C (3.40°F) warmer than average. The global ocean
surface temperatures were 4th warmest in the 128-year record,
approximately 0.05°C (0.09°F) cooler than the record
established in 1998.
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Current Month |
January | Anomaly | Rank | Warmest Year on Record |
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GlobalLandOcean Land and Ocean |
+1.89°C (+3.40°F) +0.47°C (+0.85°F) +0.85°C (+1.53°F) |
warmest 4th warmest warmest |
2002 (+1.44°C/2.59°F) 1998 (+0.52°C/0.94°F) 2002 (+0.71°C/1.28°F) |
Northern HemisphereLandOcean Land and Ocean |
+2.28°C (+4.10°F) +0.49°C (+0.88°F) +1.16°C (+2.09°F) |
warmest 2nd warmest warmest |
2002 (+1.87°C/3.37°F) 1998 (+0.51°C/0.92°F) 2002 (+0.93°C/1.67°F) |
Southern HemisphereLandOcean Land and Ocean |
+0.71°C (+1.28°F) +0.46°C (+0.83°F) +0.50°C (+0.90°F) |
4th warmest 6th warmest 4th warmest |
2006 (+0.79°C/1.42°F) 1998 (+0.55°C/0.99°F) 1998 (+0.58°C/1.04°F) |
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The most current data may be accessed via the Global Surface Temperature Anomalies page.
PrecipitationThe maps below represent anomaly values based
on the GHCN data set of land surface stations using a base period
of 1961-1990. During January 2007, above average precipitation fell
over areas that include Scandinavia, England, Indonesia, southern
Brazil, and the southern Plains to the eastern Great Lakes of the
contiguous U.S.
Below average precipitation was observed in India, Japan, western
U.S., southern Europe, and the eastern coast of Australia.
Additional details on flooding and drought can also be found on the
January Global Hazards
page.
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ENSO SST AnalysisClick here for animated loop |
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ReferencesPeterson, T.C. and R.S. Vose, 1997: An Overview of the Global Historical Climatology Network Database. Bull. Amer. Meteorol. Soc., 78, 2837-2849. Quayle, R. G., T. C. Peterson, A. N. Basist, and C. S. Godfrey, 1999: An operational near-real-time global temperature index. Geophys. Res. Lett., 26, 333-335. Smith, T. M., and R. W. Reynolds (2005), A global merged land air and sea surface temperature reconstruction based on historical observations (1880-1997), J. Clim., 18, 2021-2036. |