Buresh

Buresh Blog: Holiday travel, Oct. global temps., warm 2017 for U.S.

Nov. 15, 2017 — 'Tis the season for holiday travel.  My how time flies.  The hurricane season is finally winding down, the temps. are edging downward & the overall weather pattern is becoming more active as we head toward winter.  Jacksonville's first avg. freeze date is within a few weeks - near Dec. 10th.

So for travelers over the next 10 days or so.... the jet stream is showing signs of buckling with a pretty significant dip (trough of low pressure) setting up shop from the Central into the Eastern U.S.  This will allow some pretty cold air to drop southward from Canada.  Such a pattern would also typically lead to more rain & snow across the Eastern half of the U.S. while the Western U.S. turns dry & warmer (after a fast start to the ski season in the Pacific NW & parts of the Northern Rockies).

If hitting the highways in the coming days - click here.... for the friendly skies - click here.

As part of an ongoing joint project between UAH, NOAA and NASA, Christy and Dr. Roy Spencer, an ESSC principal scientist, use data gathered by advanced microwave sounding units on NOAA and NASA satellites to get accurate temperature readings for almost all regions of the Earth. This includes remote desert, ocean and rain forest areas where reliable climate data are not otherwise available.

The satellite-based instruments measure the temperature of the atmosphere from the surface up to an altitude of about eight kilometers above sea level.

Global climate trend since Nov. 16, 1978: +0.13 C per decade

October temperatures (preliminary)

Global composite temp.: +0.63 C (about 1.13 degrees Fahrenheit) above 30-year average for October.

Northern Hemisphere: +0.67 C (about 1.21 degrees Fahrenheit) above 30-year average for October.

Southern Hemisphere: +0.59 C (about 1.06 degrees Fahrenheit) above 30-year average for October.

Tropics: +0.47 C (about 0.85 degrees Fahrenheit) above 30-year average for October.

September temperatures (revised):

Global Composite: +0.54 C above 30-year average

Northern Hemisphere: +0.51 C above 30-year average

Southern Hemisphere: +0.57 C above 30-year average

Tropics: +0.53 C above 30-year average

(All temperature anomalies are based on a 30-year average (1981-2010) for the month reported.)

Notes on data released Nov. 2, 2017:

Apparently boosted by warmer than normal water in the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean that peaked in June and July, global average temperatures in the atmosphere rose to record levels in October, according to Dr. John Christy, director of the Earth System Science Center (ESSC) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. October 2017 was the seventh warmest month in the 39-year satellite temperature record. It joins September 2017 as the warmest months on record not associated with a typical El Niño Pacific Ocean warming event.

Of the 20 warmest monthly global average temperatures in the satellite record, only October and September 2017 were not during a normal El Niño. Compared to seasonal norms, the global average temperature in October made it the seventh warmest month in the satellite record.

Warmest months (global average)
(degrees C warmer than 30-year October average)
Feb. 2016     +0.85 C
March 2016   +0.76 C
April 1998     +0.74 C
April 2016     +0.72 C
Feb. 1998     +0.65 C
May 1998     +0.64 C
Oct. 2017   +0.63 C
June 1998    +0.57 C
Jan. 2016     +0.55 C
Sept. 2017   +0.54 C

Among the 39 Octobers in the satellite temperature dataset, October 2017 was the warmest for both the globe and the southern hemisphere by statistically significant amounts: Globally, at 0.63 C warmer than seasonal norms, October 2017 was 0.20 C warmer than October 2015 (+0.43 C). In the southern hemisphere, October 2017 was 0.59 warmer than seasonal norms. The second warmest southern hemisphere October was in 2016, with an average temperature that was 0.42 warmer than seasonal norms.

October 2017 was also the warmest October in the northern hemisphere, but by a smaller amount: +0.67 C in 2017 compared to +0.63 in 2015.

In the tropics, October 2017 was tied as the second warmest October in the temperature record. October 2015 was the warmest tropical October on record with an average temperature +0.54 C warmer than seasonal norms. Octobers in 2016 and 2017 tied for second at +0.47 C warmer than seasonal norms.

Warmest Octobers (global average)
(degrees C warmer than 30-year September average)

2017  +0.63 C
2015   +0.43 C
2016   +0.42 C
1998   +0.40 C
2003   +0.28 C
2005   +0.27 C
2014   +0.25 C
2012   +0.24 C
2006   +0.22 C
2010   +0.20 C

Compared to seasonal norms, the coldest spot on the globe in October was in eastern Russian, near the town of Omtschak. Temperatures there were 1.97 C (about 3.55 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than seasonal norms.

Compared to seasonal norms, the warmest place on Earth in October was over the Northeast Greenland National Park. Temperatures there averaged 4.61 C (about 8.30 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than seasonal norms.

Annual trend since 1978:

NOAA has posted an interesting table showing how warm 2017 has been so far (through Oct. 31st) nationally - click here.  The image below is for Jacksonville - 6th warmest on record going back 78 years at 2.2 degrees above avg. Many of the warmest on record cities were in the Eastern U.S. & included Daytona Beach, Miami & Tampa in Fl.

"America Recycles Day" is (was) Nov. 15th.  From NEEF:

The amount of waste Americans generate has been on the rise—from 3.66 pounds per person in 1980 to 4.4 pounds per person in 2014—but we’re also recycling and composting more. Today we recycle or compost about 34% of our waste, up from less than 10% in 1980.

In 2014, Americans recycled and composted 89 million tons of waste. Keeping waste out of landfills and incinerators reduced CO2 emissions by 181 million metric tons—the equivalent to the annual emissions of 38 million cars!

November 15 is America Recycles Day(link is external). Take this opportunity to scour your home, school, or office for unusual items that you don't need any more but can be recycled:

  • hair care and mouthwash bottles;
  • plastic bags and plastic wrap used to package paper towels, toilet paper, and dry-cleaning;
  • mobile phones, tablets, computers, video game consoles, TVs, and other electronics.

Recycling these items gives them new life. Plastic containers can become new plastic products, carpeting, or car parts. Plastic bags and plastic wrap can become new plastic bags, shopping carts, or fencing and deck materials. Valuable metals from electronics can be used in jewelry, new electronics, and car parts.

Before tossing something in the trash bin, find out if it can be recycled. Visit www.iwanttoberecycled.org(link is external) to learn more about the lifecycle of recycled products and find a recycling center where you live. 

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