(Blog Written by Donald Sutherland)
Some quick morning thoughts…
1. The preliminary June data is in. The temperature anomalies for June 2012 much more closely resembled those of June 2002 than June 1976 or June 2009.
2. Earlier, the March-May temperature anomalies in the Arctic region were characterized by widespread warmth. The pattern was similar to situations in which warmer than normal summers in North America had occurred since 1990.
3. The early data, even as an El Niño emerges, offers perhaps the first confirmation that Summer 2012 will more likely resemble Summer 2002 than either Summer 1976 or Summer 2009. In other words, the “non-summer” idea is unlikely to verify. Instead, another warmer than normal summer appears to be underway.
4. For those interested in reading more about the historic outbreak of heat, there’s a fairly detailed blog piece that can be found at: https://www.wundergro…tml?entrynum=80