WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

25-29 April 2016

DataStreme Earth Climate System will return for Fall 2016 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 22 August 2016. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Planet Earth viewed in a different light from space -- On Earth Day 2016, the NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory produced a portrait of planet Earth using near-infrared and shortwave infrared radiation from the sensor onboard the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) sensor onboard the NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP satellite. The colors appearing in this satellite image indicate temperatures of clouds and the planet's surface. [NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory ]
Celebrating five successes on Earth Day 2016 -- A feature appearing on the Climate.gov website highlights five big successes that have occurred in the 46 years since the first Earth Day in 1970: Expansion of marine protected areas; cleaner air; cleaner waterways; better prediction of extreme events and progress made in reducing overfishing. [NOAA Climate.gov News]
Worldwide GLOBE at Night 2016 Campaign resumes -- The fifth in a series of GLOBE at Night citizen-science campaigns for 2016 will commence on Friday (29 April) and continue through 8 May. GLOBE at Night is a worldwide, hands-on science and education program designed to encourage citizen-scientists worldwide to record the brightness of their night sky by matching the appearance of a constellation (Leo in the Northern Hemisphere and Crux in the Southern Hemisphere) with the seven magnitude/star charts of progressively fainter stars. Activity guides are also available. The GLOBE at night program is intended to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution. The next series in the 2016 campaign is scheduled for 29 May-7 June 2016. [GLOBE at Night]
National Science Bowl set for next weekend -- The US Department of Energy (DOE) National Science Bowl®, a nationwide academic competition for middle and high school students will be held through next weekend (28 April -2 May 2016) in Washington, DC. This event will test students' knowledge in all areas of science and is meant to encourage high school students to excel in science and math and to pursue careers in those fields. [DOE Office of Science]
Celebrating National Arbor Day -- This coming Friday, 29 April 2016, many locations across the nation will celebrate Arbor Day, a day when the planting of trees is encouraged. Arbor Day was originally proposed in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton, Nebraska's first newspaper editor, and continues to be most often celebrated by individual states on the last Friday in April. However, since planting conditions vary greatly due to the state's climate it may occur from September to May. In Arkansas, Arbor Day is celebrated on the third Monday in March, but in Alaska, the date is the third Monday in May. For your state's observance (and name of the official state tree), please consult the National Arbor Day Foundation.
Between equinox and solstice -- Next Sunday (1 May 2016) will be May Day, which had its origins as a great Celtic festival Beltane. This date is close to the traditional "cross quarter" day, roughly halfway between the vernal equinox (20 March 2016) and the summer solstice (20 June 2016). (Note that Thursday 5 May 2016 is closer to the halfway point between the equinox and solstice. EJH)

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

Spring comes to interior Alaska -- The ice on the Tanana River at Nenana officially went out on the afternoon of Saturday, 23 April 2016 at 3:39 PM (Alaska Standard Time). This date represents the fifth earliest breakup on record in the famous 100-year old Nenana Ice Classic. The earliest breakup occurred on 20 April 1998, while the latest breakup on record was on 20 May 2013. The median date for ice-breakup is 5 May. [Nenana Ice Classic] The jackpot for this year's annual Nenana Ice Classic of $300,000 was to be shared by several winners who had not been identified as of this weekend. [Alaska Dispatch News] NOTE: A graph of the date of ice-out for each year since the Classic was started in 1917 has been plotted by this editor. EJH
Review of global weather and climate for March 2016 -- Using preliminary data collected from the global network of surface weather stations, scientists at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information have determined that the combined global land and ocean surface temperature for March 2016 was the highest for any March since sufficiently detailed global climate records began in 1880. This global temperature for March 2016 was 1.22 Fahrenheit degrees above the 20th century (1901-2000) average. Furthermore, the global temperature departure for March 2016 from the long-term average was the largest for any month during the 137-year period of record, continuing the trend of eleven consecutive months when an all-time monthly temperature record has been broken.
When considered separately, the average land temperature for March 2016 was the highest for any March since 1880. Likewise, last month's average temperature over the oceans was the highest for March. Although the historic El Niño event was showing signs of weakening, the event was helping maintain above average sea surface temperatures across the equatorial Pacific.
The researchers at the National Snow and Ice Data Center noted the areal extent of the Arctic sea ice reached its annual maximum extent near the end of the third week of March. The areal extent of this sea ice for March 2016 was the second smallest since satellite surveillance began in 1979, being slightly larger than the record smallest extent set in March 2015. Conversely, the extent of the Antarctic sea ice was the 14th largest in the 38-season record. According to data from the Rutgers Global Snow Lab, the Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent for March was the second smallest in the 50-year period of record. [NOAA/NCEI State of the Climate] A global map of Selected Significant Climate Anomalies and Events for March 2016 is available from NCDC.

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

Ten years of cloud observations made by CALIPSO satellite -- This coming week marks the tenth anniversary of the launch of the CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation) satellite. This satellite, which is a joint mission between NASA and France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), has been collecting data on the vertical structure and properties of clouds and aerosols using its onboard lasers. Data collected by CALIPSO are combined with data obtained by other NASA satellites orbiting Earth in the A-Train constellation that include CLoudSat Aqua, Aura, Global Change Observation Mission-Water (GCOM-W) and Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO)-2. [NOAA News]

CLIMATE FORCING

Explaining the occurrence of drought in western tropical Pacific -- The drought conditions that have developed across a large section of the western Pacific Ocean and many of the islands of Oceania during the last several months appear to be the result of the El Niño event that resulted in a shift in the east-west oriented Walker Circulation in the equatorial atmosphere. Some of the island nations experiencing the most drought have been Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. [NOAA Climate.gov News]
New seafloor maps chart melt risks from Greenland glaciers -- A team of researchers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a variety of other research institutions have combined seafloor data from shipboard surveys of the several fjords in west Greenland between 2007 and 2014 with related data collected from NASA's Operation Icebridge and the NASA/U.S. Geological Survey Landsat satellites to generate comprehensive maps of the ocean floor around 14 Greenland glaciers. According to these new maps, the research team warns that many of these large Greenland glaciers are at a greater risk of melting from below than previously thought, which would affect the predicted rise in global sea level. [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory News]

CLIMATE FORECASTS

New Seasonal Climate Outlooks released -- During the last week, forecasters at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) released their Three-Month (Seasonal) Climate Outlooks for the three-months running from May through July 2016, which contains the last month of meteorological spring and the first two months of two months of meteorological summer. Specific details of their outlooks include:

Temperature and precipitation outlooks -- According to their temperature outlook, the majority (40) of the 48 contiguous United States should experience a high chance of above average temperatures for these three upcoming months, with the greatest probability of such an occurrence along the Pacific Coast running southern California north to Washington and along the Atlantic Coast, primarily from the Carolinas northward to northern New England. Above average temperatures appear to be likely across the Southeast, primarily over the Florida Peninsula. Only sections of the central and southern Plains along with the southern Rockies were expected to have near equal chances of warmer or cooler than normal conditions.
Their precipitation outlook calls for better than even chances of dry conditions for May through July 2016 across northern sections of the Great Lakes States centered on Michigan's Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin appearing to have the highest chance of drier than average weather conditions. Conversely, many states across southern and western sections of the nation were expected to have a better than even chance of having above average precipitation. This region extends from central and northern California eastward and southward to the coast of the Carolinas and the Florida Peninsula. The region with the highest probability of above precipitation would be centered on the central Rockies and the Four Corners area (Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico). The rest of the contiguous United States should have equal chances of below and above average precipitation for late spring and early summer. [NOAA Climate Prediction Center] Outlooks for May are also available. A summary of the prognostic discussion of the outlook for non-technical users is available from CPC. These forecasts were based in part upon the continued weakening of El Niño conditions across the equatorial Pacific followed by a transition to ENSO-neutral conditions by late meteorological spring and into early summer 2016 in the Northern Hemisphere.
Seasonal Drought Outlook released -- The forecasters at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center also released their US Seasonal Drought Outlook that would run from mid April through July 2016 in which drought conditions were expected to persist across many of the Western States, especially across most of California, southeastern Oregon and western Nevada, as well as across sections of the Southwest that include southern sections of Arizonan and New Mexico. Improvement in drought conditions was expected across the central and northern Plains, along with sections of the Great Basin. Most of these areas could be removed from drought consideration. Note: a Seasonal Drought Outlook Discussion is included describing the forecasters' confidence.

Legendary hurricane scientist passes -- Professor emeritus William (Bill) Gray of Colorado State University, who began seasonal forecasts of Atlantic hurricane activities in the 1980s, passed away one week ago this last Saturday, just a few days after his protégé Phil Klotzbach issued the 2016 Extended-range Forecast of Atlantic Seasonal Hurricane Activity and Landfall Strike Probability. [Washington Post Capital Weather Gang]

CLIMATE AND HUMAN HEALTH

Counting the ways weather and climate influence human health and behavior -- An article appearing in the Huffington Post has identified "11 crazy ways the weather influences your health and behavior." In addition to the obvious affects of temperature, extreme weather can lead to psychological problems, rain can make allergies worse, sun or the lack thereof can affect mood, summer can lower blood pressure. [Huffington Post]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

Timeline for 2011 tornado outbreaks highlighted on 5th anniversary -- The National Weather Service has assembled a timeline of the six separate tornado outbreaks that pummeled a wide section of the nation beginning in early April 2015 and continuing through late May 2015. These tornado outbreaks, which affected the central Plains, the Midwest, the Southeast and the Northeast, contained 1691 tornadoes and resulted in 553 fatalities. The loss of life resulted in NOAA developing its Weather-Ready Nation initiative. [NOAA Weather-Ready Nation]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com]

Historical Events:

25 April 1875...New York City received three inches of snow, the latest measurable snow of record for that location. (David Ludlum)
25 April 1898...The temperature at Volcano Springs, CA hit 118 degrees to establish an U.S. record for the month of April. (The Weather Channel)
26 April 1991...200,000 people were killed as a cyclone caused tremendous flooding which devastated the Bay of Bengal region of Bangladesh and India. (National Weather Service files)
27 April 1915...The temperature at Washington, DC hit 92 degrees, the highest ever in April. New York City hit 92 degrees as well. (Intellicast)
27 April 1931...The temperature at Pahala, located on the main island of Hawaii, soared to 100 degrees to establish a state high temperature record. (The Weather Channel)
27 April 1960...The highest temperature ever recorded in Thailand reached 112 degrees at Uttaradit, Thailand . (The Weather Doctor)
27 April 1988...Mount Washington, NH reported seven ft of snow in ten days, pushing their snowfall total for the month to 89.9 in., surpassing the previous record of 89.3 in. set in 1975. Records have been kept at the Observatory on the summit since December 1932. (The National Weather Summary) (Intellicast)
27 April 2003...The largest hail storm ever recorded at Key West, FL was reported between 4:10 and 4:20 PM, hailstones ranging in size from one-half inch up to one and three-quarter inches fell. It is the eleventh recorded hail event (since 1871) at Key West. (The Weather Doctor)
28 April 1973...The all-time record crest of the Mississippi River at St. Louis, MO was recorded at 43.3 ft, exceeding the former 1884 mark by 1.9 ft. (Intellicast) This record has since been exceeded by a record flood level of 49.6 feet on 1 August 1993. (National Weather Service)
29 April 1910...The temperature at Kansas City, MO soared to 95 degrees to establish a record for the month of April. Four days earlier the afternoon high in Kansas City was 44 degrees, following a record cold morning low of 34 degrees. (The Weather Channel) (The Kansas City Weather Almanac)
North America's deadliest rockslide was caused by snowmelt followed by temperatures near zero degrees Fahrenheit that caused water in the rock joints under Turtle Mountain in the Canadian Rockies to freeze and expand. Ninety million tons of limestone fell some 3000 ft onto Frank, AB. As many as 70 people died as the result of the rockslide. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
29 April 1912...The highest temperature ever recorded in Oceania was 108 degrees that occurred on this date at Tuguegarao, Philippines. (The Weather Doctor)
29 April 1973...The Mississippi River reached a crest of 43.4 ft at St. Louis, MO, breaking the previous record of 42 ft established in 1785. (David Ludlum)
30 April 1888...World's deadliest hailstorm occurred at Moradabad, India as enormous hailstones killed 230 persons and many livestock. An additional 16 people died in another town. (The Weather Doctor)
30 April 1991...Memphis, TN set a new monthly rainfall record for April with 17.13 inches of rain. The old record was 13.90 inches set back in 1877. (Intellicast)
30 April 1994...The rain finally stopped on the Kaneohe Ranch on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, ending a streak of 247 consecutive days of rain that began 27 August 1993. (The Weather Doctor)
30 April 2011...There were 758 tornadoes in the U.S. in April 2011, the most ever recorded in a month (beating the old record by 216). (National Weather Service files)
1 May 1854...After 66 hours of steady rain, the Connecticut River reached a level of nearly twenty-nine feet (28 feet 10.5 inches) at Hartford, CT (the highest level of record until that time). The record height was reached in the midst of a great New England flood that followed sixty-six hours of steady rain. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
1 May 1935...Snow, ice and sleet brought winter back to parts of southeast Minnesota. Minneapolis received three inches of snow to tie their May record that was established in 1892. (1^st-2^nd) (The Weather Channel)
1 May 1954...The temperature at Polebridge, MT dipped to 5 degrees below zero to establish a state record for the month of May. (The Weather Channel)
1 May 2003...A record setting 516 tornadoes occurred during the month of May 2003. In particular, during the period May 4-10, 2003, an unprecedented number of tornadoes affected the central and southern United States. During this period, 393 tornadoes occurred across the central and southern U.S. resulting in 39 deaths across 4 states. Six of these tornadoes were classified as violent (F4) on the Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale. (National Weather Service files)

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