NOAA/NCDC: Jan08 Colder than 20th century average

Let us give NOAA credit for making this release:

“The average temperature in January 2008 was 30.5 F. This was -0.3 F cooler than the 1901-2000 (20th century) average, the 49th coolest January in 114 years. The temperature trend for the period of record (1895 to present) is 0.1 degrees Fahrenheit per decade.”

For those that have been harping about my “2nd coldest in 15 years” headline, it appears that NCDC has that one beat with “the 49th coolest January in 114 years”.

Of course, we’ve had several prior years where the monthly average dipped below the 1901-2000 average, so this is nothing of real value, but I thought it was interesting to point out NCDC’s choice of assigning a rank to the month.

This graph is using the USHCN2 data set, the graph was generated by NCDC from the engine at this link. The long term trend is unchanged. It would take several years of below average temperatures for the 1901-2000 trend to start dropping, but since Joe Bastardi points out that he sees a “regime change“, that may be a possibility, at least for USHCN (United States) data.

Above: January Temperature Trends 1895-2008

One wonders if the value might be a bit lower if we didn’t have weather stations in the network like this one:

Click picture to see image gallery at surfacestations.org Photo: Warren Meyer

But that’s what I hope to find out by surveying the USHCN network with the help of volunteers at www.surfacestations.org By the way I need help in Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas, and much of the great plains.

Kerry Blames Tornado Outbreak on Global Warming

From the Business and Media Institute here is this blundering gem:

Kerry appeared on MSNBC on February 6 to discuss storms that have killed at least 50 people throughout the Southeastern United States. So, of course, Kerry used the platform to advance global warming alarmism.

     “[I] don’t want to sort of leap into the larger meaning of, you know, inappropriately, but on the other hand, the weather service has told us we are going to have more and more intense storms,” Kerry said. “And insurance companies are beginning to look at this issue and understand this is related to the intensity of storms that is related to the warming of the earth. And so it goes to global warming and larger issues that we’re not paying attention to. The fact is the hurricanes are more intensive, the storms are more intensive and the rainfall is more intense at certain places at certain times and the weather patterns have changed.”

 

Link to video of Kerry here

 

Hate to break this to you John, but its got nothing at all to do with “global warming” and everything to do with La Nina.  Mr. Kerry, stick to politics and swiftboats please.

Joe D’Aleo on ICECAP has a review of the Kerry blunder and includes references to studies linking tornado outbreaks to previous La Nina years.

As tornado season gets into full swing, be prepared for more nonsensical utterances from misinformed politicians and celebrities. Oh wait, its an election year, so double that.