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How did December Stack Up in the Satellite Record?

Jan 9, 2012; 10:10 AM ET

How did December rank in terms of satellite measured temperature anomalies for the globe?

According to Remote Sensing Systems (RSS), the global average temperature anomaly for the lower troposphere was +0.114 celsius or .205 F. November 2011 came in at +0.032 celsius.

The RSS image below shows the lower tropospheric temperature anomalies for most of the globe for December 2011.

As you can see from the image above, much of NE Asia, western Canada and eastern U.S. was unusually warm for December, while Greenland, eastern Asia and eastern Australia were colder compared to normal.

December 2011 ranks as the 17th warmest December in the 33-year satellite record, which obviously puts it in the middle and close to normal. Keep in mind, the Pacific cooled this year thanks to La Nina, and that usually has a cooling influence on the average global temperature.

If you were wondering about the continental USA, the average December temperature for the lower troposphere was +.614 C or 1.11 F above normal. You can probably blame a lot of that on the strong, persistent positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation.

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