La Niña fades to neutral; April the globe's 4th - 7th warmest on record
April 2011 was the globe's 7th warmest April on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies rated April the 4th warmest on record, tied with April 2005. April 2011 global ocean temperatures were the 11th warmest on record, and land temperatures were the 6th warmest on record. The UK had its hottest April on record, with rainfall only 21% of average. Huge fires burned through Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland, fanned by strong spring winds.
Figure 1. Departure of temperature from average for April, 2011. Image credit: National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).
La Niña fades to neutral
The La Niña that began in June 2010 is now transitioning to neutral conditions, according to the Climate Prediction Center. Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the equatorial Pacific off the coast of South America are now just 0.4°C below average, the first time since June 2010 that these temperatures have not been 0.5°C or more cooler than average, the threshold for a La Niña. However, it is possible that these water could cool a bit again over the next few weeks, so NOAA has not yet declared an official end to this La Niña episode. Equatorial SSTs were 0.5°C below average in the central Pacific, and average to above-average temperatures have emerged in the eastern Pacific. While this signals the end to La Niña, the CPC cautions that the atmosphere is still behaving like La Niña is continuing. An animation of SSTs since February shows the weakening La Niña nicely. Springtime is the most common time for a La Niña event to end; since 1950, half of all La Niñas ended in March, April, or May.
Arctic sea ice 5th lowest on record
Arctic sea ice declined slowly through most of April, and had the 5th lowest extent since satellite record began in 1979, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. However, sea ice extent began declining more quickly toward the end of the month, and as of May 16 was the second lowest on record.
I'll have more on the Mississippi River flood next post. If you haven't seen it, read my post, America's Achilles' heel: the Mississippi River Old River Control Structure.
Jeff Masters and Angela Fritz
Angela is a new wunderground hire, with a Masters degree in Meteorology, who will be helping out with my blog and the site's weather education and climate change content.
Reader Comments
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does anyone know when this usually happens on the average? I am really worried the high will settle over the florida panhandle and we will be in for more drought...
Think of TheChart as a really cool tattoo...
Hey Kman good to see ya :)
Indeed, would be nice to get some rain up there. The GFS keeps hinting at it before the month ends. These deep troughs have been keeping the monsoon trough out of the western Caribbean so far.
Well Pottery, you've done it wrong already. It's "re-ported." Now get it right!
Low pressure centered over North Carolina is driving cool and moist Atlantic air onshore and to the West.
Yeah, but would you rather have one pretty woman, or ten ugly women?
De-ported.
Flaged and Ignerd.
:):))
10
edit: 9 plus 1
Not that I can see:
In the squadron we had a motto: "Go ugly early - it saves time and money."
Yep.
I made a post on that earlier today.
Unusual to see so little Dust heading into June.
Low dust levels tend to allow/encourage T-Waves coming off Africa to become better defined.
Just another factor in the Potential set-up.
Mostly cloudy with a 99% chance of dirt. Winds out of the southwest at 40 mph with gusts to 55.:(
...the SAL is vacationing in Idaho.
Hello To All. I am taking time to send you all this message that I am retiring from all storm chasing effective immediately. Best wishes to all my other storm chasing friends and to all my supporters. It was an interesting run of many decades, and my only regret is that "storm-proofed" and internet broadcast technology was not available during all those years when I was a young man. May you all be blessed!
Damn! damn damn damn. Oh well I am sure he has good reason.
That looks pretty Dread...
Thanks ... my hair hates this weather .... Im goin back 2 Orlando!
Hey guys.This trough that is hanging around the Eastern Caribbean has to move because Puerto Rico is going thru a bad situation with many rivers over their banks,dams with open gates,between 5-8 inches since last Saturday,hail falling,mini tornadoes,waterspouts. We have been thru all.I can send some to the Caymans and to Florida right?
And Texas.
..Sure as the Dust, blows high in June,
When moving thru Kashmir..
Saw a B. Sticker the other day that said
"Beauty is in the eye of the CardHolder"
sums it all up, that one...
Surely yes.
True. I have been looking at them.
Going to be fun tracking the waves this season, and hoping they all come to nothing...
Wishfull thinking that.
(Do I get a prize for the first wishcast of the year??)
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