NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
Northern Hemisphere Snow Cover Extent
| January 2024 | Snow Cover Extent | Anomaly 1991-2020 | Trend per decade | Rank (58 years) | Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| million km² | million mi² | million km² | million mi² | million km² | million mi² | Year(s) | million km² | million mi² | |||
| Northern Hemisphere | 46.89 | 18.10 | -0.35 | -0.14 | +0.09 | +0.03 | Largest | 32nd | 2008 | 50.28 | 19.41 |
| Smallest | 27th | 1981 | 41.89 | 16.17 | |||||||
| North America | 17.96 | 6.93 | +0.37 | +0.14 | +0.01 | +0.00 | Largest | 16th | 1985 | 18.82 | 7.27 |
| Smallest | 43rd | 1981 | 16.07 | 6.20 | |||||||
| Eurasia | 28.93 | 11.17 | -0.72 | -0.28 | +0.08 | +0.03 | Largest | 41st | 2008 | 32.27 | 12.46 |
| Smallest | 18th | 1981 | 25.82 | 9.97 | |||||||
Data Source: Global Snow Laboratory, Rutgers University. Period of record: 1967–2024 (58 years)
The Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent for January 2024 was 46.89 million square kilometers (18.10 million square miles), which is 350,000 square kilometers (135,000 square miles) below the 1991-2020 average.
This tied with 1993 as the 27th-smallest Northern Hemisphere January snow extent on record.
The North America and Greenland snow cover extent was 17.96 million square kilometers (6.93 million square miles), which is 370,000 square kilometers (143,000 square miles) above the 1991-2020 average. This tied with both 1969 and 1971 as the 16th-largest snow cover extent for North America on record.
Above-average January snow cover extent was observed across portions of the Cascades, central Rockies, central and southern Plains, Midwest, and Appalachians. With above-normal temperatures and an unfavorable storm track for heavy snow, much of the northern Rockies and Upper Midwest experienced a snowfall deficit in January.
Eurasia had a below average snow cover extent for January at 28.93 million square kilometers (11.17 million square miles), which is 720,000 square kilometers (278,000 square miles) below the 1991-2020 average. This ranked as the 18th-smallest January snow cover extent on record.
Across the regions, snow cover was below-average across most of central and southern Europe, Turkey, central Asia, Nepal, and western China. Meanwhile, above-average snow cover extent was observed across parts of northern Europe, southern Mongolia, northeastern China, and Japan.
Sea Ice Extent
The sea ice extent data for the Arctic and Antarctic are provided by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and are measured from passive microwave instruments onboard NOAA Satellites. The sea ice extent period of record is from 1979–2024 for a total of 46 years.
| January 2024 | Sea Ice Extent | Anomaly 1991-2020 | Trend per decade | Rank (46 years) | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| million km² | million mi² | Year(s) | million km² | million mi² | |||||
| Northern Hemisphere | 13.92 | 5.37 | -0.43% | -2.86% | Largest | 26th | 1979 | 15.41 | 5.95 |
| Smallest | 20th | 2018 | 13.08 | 5.05 | |||||
| Southern Hemisphere | 3.96 | 1.53 | -21.43% | -1.59% | Largest | 41st | 2015 | 6.85 | 2.64 |
| Smallest | 5th | 2023 | 3.23 | 1.25 | |||||
| Globe | 17.88 | 6.90 | -5.99% | -2.52% | Largest | 39th | 1979 | 20.81 | 8.03 |
| Smallest | 7th | 2023 | 16.58 | 6.40 | |||||
Data Source: National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). Period of record: 1979–2024 (46 years)
Globally, January 2024 sea ice extent was seventh smallest in the 46-year record at 17.88 million square kilometers (6.90 million square miles). This was 1.14 million square kilometers (440,000 square miles) below the 1991-2020 average.
The Arctic sea ice extent for January 2024 ranked as the 20th-smallest in the satellite record at 13.92 million square kilometers (5.37 million square miles). This was 60,000 kilometers (30,000 square miles) below the 1991-2020 average.
Sea ice extent was well-below average in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and was tied for fourth-lowest January extent on record with 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2017. Both Baffin Bay and the Bering Sea had below-average sea ice extent during January. The Sea of Okhotsk and the Greenland Sea both had above-average sea ice extent in January with the Greenland Sea experiencing their highest January sea ice extent since 2001.
The January 2024 Antarctic sea ice extent was fifth smallest on record at 3.96 million square kilometers (1.53 million square miles). This was 1.08 million square kilometers (420,000 square miles) below the 1991-2020 average.