Warmest winter on record

[bascule]

The 2006-07 winter was the warmest worldwide since the advent of instrumental recording, according to the US atmospheric agency NOAA.

 

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/s2819.htm

 

Anyone else been feeling it? We've had one of the worst winters on record in terms of snowfall.

[Royston]

Anyone else been feeling it?

 

Aye, and loving it quite frankly. We had crocuses in our front garden late January...they're not usually due until late February early March. We had one day of snow, that settled (a few weeks ago), and today I was outside at lunch with just a t-shirt on...well, not just a t-shirt. But the weather 'has' been unseasonably warm, where I am anyway. UK (Southcoast)

[Fremen2378]

it was warm through January but February came in and destroyed the record.... now its march and nothing is consistent... it was 70 yesterday....

[Jthesnake08]

I have not noticed the warmth this winter at all. I have had more snow and freezing temperatures this year then I can remember. My school has missed 5 days. 3 of snow and 2 due to the wind chill being so low. Although it was weird that one day this week it was 32 degrees Fahrenheit and then the next day 73 degrees Fahrenheit, but that was only a few days. The weather is crazy sometimes.

[Velocity517]

Yeah, this winter has been uncommonly warm this year. I hardly felt cold at all. The snow was good, changes it up a little, but the overall warmth was really nice.

[herpguy]

The last December and January were the warmest I've ever felt. February was average or slightly colder, but March is hot.

[woelen]

We did not have any winter. Summer lasted till the beginning of November (normally at the end of September it is done), and we had autumn-like weather till end of February, and now we have really spring (temperatures of 14 C and plenty of sunshine). I like the high temperatures, but in summer it may become unpleasant.

[Pangloss]

I don't see much temperature variation where I live, and I patently disbelieve the straw man media reports which seem to vary between "warmest winter on record" and "MASSIVE SNOWSTORM AND WE'RE ALL ABOUT TO DIE." So I pretty much have to rely on what other people say here.

 

But I have to admit I'm a bit confused about this. I was just reading this short article at Scientific American and it talked about tiny fractions of degrees. Interesting scientifically, but how can one relate that to local perception? Couldn't we just as easily have the coldest winter on record and have plenty of people experiencing "no winter this year"?

[bascule]

But I have to admit I'm a bit confused about this. I was just reading this short article at Scientific American and it talked about tiny fractions of degrees. Interesting scientifically, but how can one relate that to local perception? Couldn't we just as easily have the coldest winter on record and have plenty of people experiencing "no winter this year"?

 

We had a horrible, cold winter here with record snowfall. This article is stating that the global mean surface temperature for December 2006 through February 2007 is the highest on record. If you compare our regional average to the running average, we had a colder-than-average winter: