Daniel Schramm

September 3, 2007

A new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) concluded that for most of the United States, global warming made 2006 the second hottest year on record since 1895 (1998 remains the hottest). Global warming was found to be responsible for approximately half of all abnormal warming across the Continental U.S. Furthermore, the probability of record-breaking temperatures in any given location in the U.S. in 2006 increased fifteen times over pre-industrialization probabilities.

The report relied on forty-two simulations using eighteen different climate models relying on data taken from over 1,200 historical climatology network stations set up across the country. The results also conclusively demonstrated that the El Nino weather phenomenon was not responsible for the warming, which was thought to be a possible cause for record temperatures in 1998. In fact, NOAA scientists looking at data on ten El Nino events recorded since 1965 found that it actually had a slight cooling effect on the country, on average.

Among the most remarkable weather statistics were record-breaking high temperatures throughout the Northern states in December of last year. Boston's average for the month registered an eight-degree F increase over its historical average. For the last three weeks of December, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota was seventeen-degrees F warmer than average. NOAA now estimates there is a sixteen-percent chance 2007 will also bring record temperatures.

Sources:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Greenhouse Gases Likely Drove Near-Record U.S. Warmth in 2006 (Aug. 28, 2007), at http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/s2912.htm (last visited Aug. 29, 2007).

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA Says U.S. Winter Temperature Near Average 
Global December-February Temperature Warmest on Record (Mar. 15, 2007), at http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/s2819.htm (last visited Aug. 29, 2007).

Joseph Romm, NOAA: Greenhouse gases drove near-record U.S. warmth in 2006 (Aug. 28, 2007), at http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/8/28/163428/376 (last visited Aug. 29, 2007).

Press Release, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA Reports 2006 Warmest Year on Record for U.S. (Jan. 9, 2007), available at http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2007/jan07/noaa07-001.html (last visited Aug. 29, 2007).