Posted on 03/13/2008 8:58:19 PM PDT by neverdem
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 2:42 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Winter storms and snow notwithstanding, this winter was still warmer than average worldwide, the government reported Thursday.
The global temperature for meteorological winter -- December, January and February -- averaged 54.38 degrees Fahrenheit, 0.58 degrees warmer than normal for the last century, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported.
Temperatures have been rising over recent years, raising concerns about the effects of global warming, generally attributed to human-induced impacts on the atmosphere.
While it was warmer than normal, the just completed winter was the coolest since 2000-2001, which climate experts attributed to the presence of moderate-to-strong La Nina, or cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean, which can affect conditions around the world.
For the United States, this winter's average temperature was 33.2 degrees, 0.2 degrees above the 20th century average.
NOAA's National Climatic Data Center said winter temperatures were warmer than average from Texas to the Southeast and along the Eastern Seaboard, while cooler-than-average temperatures stretched from much of the upper Midwest to the West Coast.
The agency said the winter was unusual for the above average rain and snowfall in the Southwest, where La Nina usually brings drier-than-average conditions.
For example, in January 170 inches of snow fell at the Alta ski area near Salt Lake City, Utah, more than twice the normal amount for the month, topping the record of 168 inches that fell in 1967.
Mountain snowpack exceeded 150 percent of average in large parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Oregon at the end of February. Spring run-off from the above average snowpack in the West is expected to be beneficial in drought plagued areas.
In the Northeast, February rain and snow helped make the winter the fifth wettest on record for the region...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Bravo Sierra. The AP can pay my heating bill.
They are just measuring the hot air coming out of their newsroom. Tell them to move the thermometer to the real world.
If you can not prove it with scientific evidence just say it anyway and it will magically become a fact.
Tell this to my worn out snow blower.
AP hires loons; is owned and run by loons. Ditto Reuters and most other news services.
vaudine
“Somebody” has an agenda.
We’ve had more snow this winter since records have been kept and its been colder than I remember in at least 20 yrs.
IAC, this winter is proof that the world needs more warming.
I think it was Dennis Miller who said something along the lines of “forgive me for doubting the accuracy of temperature data from the turn of the century.”
Only Heretics believe the world is not getting warmer.
Pray for W and Our Troops
It made for a miserable 8 weeks waiting for some warm.
Liars who are looking to tax the gullible...
You beat me to it :)
Just for sure the Dow Jones Industrial Average is many times its average for the last century.
That doesn't deny that the temperature has been going down sharply this year, or that we've had a cold winter, or that the Dow is 2000 points below its high of last year.
Now ... when we see an AP report that the Dow is six times its average over the last century (or whatever multiple it is) then that will be time to watch out for flying pigs and to start selling long johns in hell.
They are looking to paint the temperatures as up and the Dow as down, not the other way.
Yes, that's good evidence that there's increased moisture in the air (from higher temp) available for snow. But just because that's the highest since the 1870s doesn't mean it's definite evidence for HUMANS causing the warming.
I think Wisconsin is in the same situation...
BIG DITTO.
That's because it was so busy struggling to make it colder in the face of global warming. It didn't have time to bother about the precipitation.
This article is asinine. Winter is a hemispheric phenomena. It is impossible for their to be a “global winter” to take metrics on.
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