Winter Conditions in the U.S.: Unusual Warmth in the West, Cold in the East
January Global Average Temperature Third Warmest on Record
The first two months of the winter saw average to below average temperatures in
the East, and unusual warmth in the western United States, according to scientists at
the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA). Near record dryness occurred in January following a much wetter-than-
average December for the contiguous United States. The global average surface
temperature was the third warmest on record for January.
NOAA scientists from the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C., report
that the average temperature for the contiguous United States in January (based on
preliminary data) was 32.9 F (0.5 C) which was 2.0 F above the 1895-2002 mean,
but well below the record warm January of 1953 when the average temperature was
37.3 F (2.9 C). Conditions in the East contrasted sharply with those in the West. High
pressure over the western United States and an atmospheric flow pattern that brought
arctic air into the eastern United States resulted in below average temperatures in the
East and record or near-record warmth in the West. Although the contrast was not as
great, a similar pattern of temperatures occurred in December, with a nationally
averaged temperature of 2.3 F above the long-term average.
The Southwest and West regions of the country had their warmest January on
record while January was the second warmest on record in the Northwest Region. On a
statewide basis, Nevada and Utah had their warmest January on record, and statewide
average temperatures were second warmest in California, Oregon and Arizona. The
statewide January temperature for Alaska was 6.7 F (3.7 C) above the 1971-2000
average.
In the East, snow and ice storms accompanied the cold temperatures in some
areas. From 4 to 12 inches (10-30 cm) of snow fell across North Carolina on January
23, leaving 3 to 4 foot (90 - 120 cm) high snow drifts on the Outer Banks. The state was
affected by a severe ice storm the previous month that left well over one million people
without electricity. Heavy snows also fell in parts of the Northeast, where Syracuse,
N.Y., had more than 100 inches (254 cm) of seasonal snowfall by the end of January.
Syracuse normally receives 112 inches (285 cm) of snow each year. The average
temperature for the December-January two-month period in the Northeast was 2.5 F
(1.4 C) below the long-term average. These temperatures contrasted sharply with the
previous winter, which was the warmest on record for the region.
December 2002 was the ninth wettest December on record for the contiguous
United States, but extremely dry conditions followed as 2003 began, and January was
the second driest such month since 1895. The most anomalously dry region for the
two-month period stretched from Colorado to Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. The
warmth and lack of snowfall in the upper Midwest adversely affected winter recreation
and entertainment including winter festivals, snowmobiling and skiing. In January,
thirty-nine states were significantly drier than average with Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida
and Minnesota having their driest January on record. Eighteen other states were much
drier than average, and the only states with significantly above average precipitation
were Washington and Idaho.
The combination of below average precipitation and anomalous warmth in the
western United States, which followed several years of below average precipitation and
drought, led to persistent or worsening drought conditions throughout much of the
region. Moderate to extreme drought covered 75 percent of the western United States
at the end of January, based on the Palmer Drought Index*. The dry conditions have
forced many ranchers to sell livestock because of the added expense and difficulty in
obtaining feed, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Seasonal snow pack
levels were also very low throughout much of the West, raising concerns about the
prospects for even more widespread and severe drought in the summer of 2003.
Globe:
The average global surface temperature for combined land and ocean surfaces
during January 2003 (based on preliminary data) was 1.0 F (0.6 F) above the 1880-
2002 long-term mean, the third-warmest January since 1880 (the beginning of reliable
instrumental records). The warmest January on record occurred in 2002, followed by
1998. Since 1900, global January surface temperatures have risen at a rate of 1.0ø
F/century (0.6 C/century), but the rate has increased to approximately three times the
century-scale trend since 1976.
Mature El Nino conditions continued in January, but there are indications that El
Nino is weakening, according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (See NOAA El Nino
press release at:
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s1091.htm). hese indications
include a decrease in sea-surface temperature anomalies of as much as 2.7 F (1.5 C)
in the eastern equatorial Pacific.
Some of the most anomalously cold land surface temperatures during January
occurred in Nepal, Bangladesh, and northern India, where a cold outbreak led to
hundreds of deaths. This contrasts with temperatures across much of Canada and
parts of central Asia, where January mean temperatures were more than 9 F (5 C)
above average. Daytime maximum temperatures exceeding 105 F (40 C) were
common in southeastern Australia in late January, the middle of the summer season in
this Southern Hemisphere country. The extremely warm temperatures and a continued
lack of precipitation resulted in worsening drought conditions and widespread wildfires
that destroyed more than 500 homes in Canberra alone.
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Satellites and Information) is the nation's primary source of space-based and surface-
based meteorological and climate data. NOAA Satellites and Information operates the
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monitoring and other environmental applications such as fire detection, ozone
monitoring and sea surface temperature measurements.
NOAA Satellites and Information also operates three data centers, which house
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*The Palmer Drought Index uses numerical values derived from weather and
climate data to classify moisture conditions throughout the contiguous United States
and includes drought categories on a scale from mild to moderate, severe and extreme.
