Update on Ocean Water Temperatures

Here is the latest Reynolds sea surface temperature anomaly analysis for the North Atlantic.

Some of my observations:

1. Water temperatures have trended below normal southeast of the Maritimes, which is a good thing if any tropical systems decide to track north toward the region. The cooler water could cause the storms to weaken more quickly if they approach.

2. Water temperatures farther to the north off the coast of Labrador are running well above normal and this is partly due to the persistent, blocking high north of Labrador much of this season. The clockwise wind flow around the high brought in warmer water from the north Atlantic that was closer to the Gulf Stream.

3. Most of the Atlantic tropical breeding grounds farther to the south are close to normal in terms of sea-surface temperature.

Now, the world. (the only way I could show the northern Pacific)

1. I still see that pocket of cooler-than-normal water off the western coast of Canada and the Pacific Northwest. This has been partly responsible for the cooler summer across western British Columbia and into Washington.

2. This anomaly pattern is typical of the cool phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), which results in cooler weather over British Columbia and southeastern Alaska.

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