Record Heat Turning to Cold

An Associated Press article by Seth Borenstein on July 20, 2016 stated that – “El Nino’s gone, yet Earth’s record heat lingers”, and June was the 14th straight record hot month.

It should be noted that the temperature data used is based on satellite readings that include both the ocean and land temperatures. However, satellite data has only been available since the 1980s, and Global temperature did not include ocean temperatures until recently - is this skewing data?

Here is a hard look look at what is being reported, and the accuracy of the article.

Why is there heat during an El Nino

• Ocean temperatures across the Pacific become very warm during a cyclical El Nino, and warm air is transported into northern latitudes and the Artic during an El Nino

• El Nino events historically cause about 14 consecutive months of warm weather globally – and cause Arctic ice melt

• Oceans take much longer to cool than air temperatures following an El Nino, thus adding in ocean temperatures skews historical records

What it did the article not tell us –

• The satellite temperature data included in the “Record Heat” article does not include temperature data within about 30 degrees latitude of the North and South Poles.

• The Antarctic Peninsula has very cold during the period and has been cooling for about 20 years - and has shown considerable increases in new ice

• The Arctic began turning dramatically colder 3 years ago – with remarkable ice restoration – although this process was temporarily disrupted with the El Nino that just ended

• During May and June - the UAH satellite temperature data just recorded the second greatest temperature drop (cooling) in 37 years in the earth’s atmosphere near the Jetstream

• It is the Jetstream that will determine the upcoming temperatures during the next year or two – and it is rapidly turning colder.

• This cooling always occurs following an El Nino and is followed by dramatically colder weather.