NOAA REPORTS WET, WARM YEAR FOR
THE U.S. IN 2004
Hurricanes, Wildfires, Drought, Snowpack and Flooding All Notable
Dec.
16, 2004 � When 2004
ends, it will rank among the top 10 wettest years on record for the
contiguous United States and is expected to be warmer than average,
according to scientists at the NOAA
Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. The findings are based on
preliminary data and historical records dating back to 1895. While parts
of the West remained in drought, rainfall was above average in 33 states,
especially in the South and East, partly due to the effects of tropical
storms and hurricanes, which impacted 20 states. (Click on NOAA
image for larger view of annual 2004 state rankings by temperature.
Click here for high
resolution version, which is a larger file. Please credit “NOAA.”)
A
Variable Year for Temperature in the U.S.
NOAA scientists report that the average temperature for the contiguous
United States for 2004 (based on preliminary data) will likely be approximately
53.5 degrees F (11.9 degrees C), which is 0.7 degrees F (0.4 degrees
C) above the 1895-2003 mean, and the 24th warmest year on record. Based
on data through the end of November, the mean annual temperature in
two states (Washington and Oregon) is expected to be much above average,
with 30 states being above average, 16 contiguous states near average
and no state below the long-term mean.
Alaska's
annual temperature is expected to be approximately 1.8 degrees F above
the 1971-2000 average for 2004, one of the five warmest years for the
state, since reliable records began in 1918. Alaska had a record warm
summer with a statewide temperature of 4.6 degrees F (2.6 degrees C)
above the 1971-2000 mean. May, June, July and August were all record
breaking for the state. Much of the West Coast also had record or near
record temperatures for the summer of 2004. In contrast, much of the
remainder of the contiguous U.S. was relatively cool during June-August,
including several cities in the Upper Midwest that had afternoon high
temperatures in the low 50s during the middle of August.
Spring
temperatures across the U.S. were above average in all states, except
Florida, which was near normal for the season. Fall was warm across
much of the mid-section of the country, but the West remained near average.
Winter began relatively warm in November and early December for states
from the Upper Midwest to the East Coast.
Hurricanes
in South and East
A major feature of the climate in the U.S. in 2004 was the number of
landfalling
tropical systems. Nine systems affected the U.S. including six hurricanes,
three of which were classified as major on the Saffir-Simpson Scale
of hurricane intensity. Four of the six hurricanes affected Florida,
making it the only state since 1886 to sustain the impact of four hurricanes
in one season (Texas also had four hurricanes in 1886). Hurricane Charley
in August was the strongest hurricane (category 4 at landfall) to strike
the U.S. since Andrew in 1992 and caused an estimated $14 billion in
damage. Hurricanes Frances, Ivan and Jeanne quickly followed Charley
in September.
Hurricane
Gaston also impacted the U.S. in August making landfall in South Carolina.
In total, the hurricane season cost the U.S. an estimated $42 billion,
the most costly season on record. That record has been calculated back
to 1900. While there was extensive wind damage in Florida and other
coastal locations, flooding was the major impact further inland. Frances
impacted the Southeast and southern Appalachians after a wetter-than-average
summer, causing millions of dollars in flood damage to the region. Shortly
thereafter Ivan traveled a similar path through the mountains and led
to widespread flooding, loss of power and landslides.
Drought
and Snowpack
In contrast to the excessive rainfall in the East, much of the West
began the year with a long-term rainfall deficit. A four-to-five-year
drought in parts of the West
intensified during the first half of 2004 as precipitation remained
below average. Drier-than-average summer conditions coupled with warmer
than normal temperatures in the West exacerbated the drought conditions
still further during June-August. Short-term drought relief occurred
in the fall as two large storms impacted the West during October. The
first major snowfall of the season was associated with these storms
for the Sierra Nevada. As of early December, snowpack is above average
in Utah, Arizona and Nevada but significantly below average throughout
much of the Northwest as well as the eastern slope of the Rockies. Near
year's end, moderate to extreme drought continued to affect large parts
of the West, including Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming,
California, Arizona and Colorado.
Wildfires
Although the wildfire season got an early start in the western U.S.,
and record warm temperatures combined with less-than-average precipitation
raised fire danger across the West through the summer, the season concluded
as below average for the contiguous U.S. However, a record number of
acres were burned in Alaska in 2004. Alaska and the adjacent Yukon Territory
of Canada saw a rapid increase in fire activity in June, which was sustained
through August consuming more than 6.6 million acres in Alaska. In Fairbanks,
on 42 of the 92 days of summer, visibility was reduced from smoke associated
with the wildfires. This compares to the previous record of 19 days
in 1977.
Global
Conditions
The average global temperature anomaly for combined land and ocean surfaces
from January-December 2004 (based on preliminary data) is expected to
be 0.55 degrees F (0.31 degrees C) above the 1880-2003 long-term mean,
making 2004 the 4th warmest year since 1880 (the beginning of reliable
instrumental records). Averaged over the year, land surface temperatures
were anomalously warm throughout western North America, southern and
western Asia and Europe. Boreal fall (September-November) as well as
November were warmest on record for combined land and ocean surfaces.
Other notable
climate events and anomalies across the world in 2004 include an active
tropical season in the Northwest Pacific with Japan sustaining ten tropical
storm landfalls, exceeding the previous record of six; below normal
monsoon rainfall for India, especially in the Northwest part of the
country; flooding in Northeastern India from monsoon rains in June-October;
a rare hurricane in the South Atlantic in March; and an extensive and
severe heat wave in Australia during February.
Sea surface
temperatures in much of the central and east-central equatorial Pacific
increased during the latter half of 2004 as weak El Niño conditions
developed. Though global impacts have been slow to develop, the NOAA
Climate Prediction Center expects the current El
Niño to persist through early 2005, bringing drier-than-average
conditions to Indonesia, northern Australia and southeastern Africa.
The National
Climatic Data Center is part of the NOAA
Satellites and Information Service, America's primary source of
space-based oceanographic, meteorological and climate data. The NOAA
Satellites and Information Service operates the nation's environmental
satellites, which are used for ocean and weather observation and forecasting,
climate monitoring, and other environmental applications. Some of the
oceanographic applications include sea surface temperature for hurricane
and weather forecasting and sea surface heights for El Niño prediction.
NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety
through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events
and providing environmental stewardship of the nation�s coastal and
marine resources. NOAA is part of the U.S.
Department of Commerce.
Relevant Web Sites
NOAA
Climate of 2004 in Historical Perspective
NOAA
2004 Atlantic Hurricane Season Summary
NOAA Climatic Data
Center
NOAA
Drought Information Center
Media
Contact:
John
Leslie, NOAA Satellites and
Information Service, (301) 457-5005
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