WIDESPREAD WARMTH LEADS TO THE FIFTH WARMEST SPRING FOR U.S.,
DRIEST SPRING ON RECORD ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST WORSENS DROUGHT
The
fifth warmest spring on record for the contiguous U. S. occurred in
2007, according to scientists at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center
in Asheville, N.C. A severe-weather outbreak in the nation's midsection
brought devastating tornadoes in early May, while a record-dry spring
in the Southeast led to worsening drought conditions. Continued extreme
dryness in May east of the Mississippi River and in the Far West expanded
the drought area. The global land-surface temperature was the highest
for the month of May, as well as for boreal spring. The combined global
land- and ocean-surface temperature was fourth warmest for May, and
tied with 1998 as the warmest January-May period.
U.S.
Temperature Highlights for May
- For the contiguous
U.S., the average temperature for May was 63.14° F (17.30°
C), which was 2.08° F (1.16° C) above the 20th century mean
and the 11th warmest May on record, based on preliminary data.
- In May, most
of the contiguous U.S. was warmer-than-normal with only Texas and
South Carolina colder-than-normal for the month.
- Alaska had
its 16th warmest May since official records began in 1918, 1.40°
F (0.78°C) above normal. However, spring overall was the 38th
coolest for the state, 1.73° F (0.96°C) below normal.
- Warmer-than-average
May temperatures in the northern U.S. combined with cooler-than-average
temperatures in the Southeast and parts of Texas created milder
overall conditions and helped decrease residential energy needs
for the nation. Using the Residential Energy Demand Temperature
Index (REDTI - an index developed at NOAA to relate energy usage
to climate), the nation's residential energy demand was approximately
4.4 percent lower than what would have occurred under average climate
conditions for the month.
U.S.
Temperature Highlights for Spring
- For spring
2007 (March-May), the average temperature for the continental U.S.
was 54.38° F (12.43° C), which was 2.49° F (1.38°
C) above the 20th century mean and the fifth warmest spring on record,
based on preliminary data. The four warmest springs in order are
1910, 2004, 2000 and 1934.
- This was the
third warmest spring for Wyoming and Missouri, while it was the
fourth for Illinois and Nevada. This was the fifth warmest spring
on record for the Central and Western North-Central regions of the
country.
- Spring energy
demand was closer to normal nationwide based on the REDTI (approximately
1 percent lower than average). The effect of near-average to cooler-than-average
spring temperatures on energy demand for heating in the heavily
populated Northeast and parts of the South was offset by warmer-than-average
temperatures in the central and western U.S.
U.S.
Precipitation Highlights for May
- For May, the
average precipitation for the continental U.S. was 2.65 inches (67.31
mm), which is 0.22 inches (5.67 mm) below the 20th century mean,
but near the long-term average, based on preliminary data.
- May 2007 was
the driest on record for Georgia, while it was third driest for
Ohio and Alabama, and the Southeast Region overall. By contrast,
parts of the High Plains and Southwest were wetter than normal in
May. Texas, New Mexico, North Dakota, and South Dakota all much
wetter-than-normal for the month.
U.S.
Precipitation Highlights for Spring
- The average
spring precipitation for the contiguous U.S. was 6.91 inches (175.51
mm), which was 0.80 inches (20.24 mm) below the 20th century mean
and the 23rd driest spring in the observed climate record dating
back to 1895.
- This was the
driest spring on record for Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and
Georgia. On the regional scale, the middle third of the U.S. was
wetter or much wetter-than-normal, while the Southeast Region had
its driest spring on record.
- Approximately
34 percent of the contiguous U.S. was in moderate-to-exceptional
drought in early June, according to the federal U.S. Drought Monitor.
- Drought impacts
have included low streamflows and mountain snowpack, parched soils
and pastureland, and numerous wildfires. The dry conditions across
the Southeast worsened wildfire activity during May across Florida
and southern Georgia.
- Severe-to-extreme
drought conditions were felt across the Southeast, with drought
spreading across parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee,
Florida, and North Carolina.
- The past 12
month period was driest on record for California and Nevada. The
abnormally dry conditions have led to severe-to-extreme drought
from the southern California coast eastward to Arizona and north
along the Sierra Nevada Mountains into the Great Basin.
Global
Highlights
- The combined
global land and ocean surface temperature for May was the fourth
warmest on record, 0.95° F/0.53° C above the 20th century
mean. The global surface temperature for the combined January-May
period tied with 1998 as the warmest January-May on record.
- Separately,
the global land-surface temperature was the warmest on record for
May, as well as for boreal spring (March-May) and the year-to-date
period. The May ocean-surface temperature was the ninth warmest
in the 128-year period of record as near-average to cooler-than-average
conditions were present across the equatorial Pacific.
- During the
past century, global surface temperatures have increased at a rate
near 0.11° F (0.06° C) per decade, but the rate of increase
has been three times larger since 1976, or 0.32° F (0.18°
C) per decade, with some of the largest temperature increases occurring
in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.
The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S.
Commerce Department, is celebrating 200
years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment
of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation
of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the
1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.
NOAA
is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through
the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and
information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental
stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the
emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS),
NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and
the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that
is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.
Note to Editors: May 2007 data, graphics and analysis, are online at:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2007/may/may07.html.
On the Web:
NOAA:
http://www.noaa.gov
NOAA
National Climatoc Data Center: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov
|