Global Highlights:

  • Based on preliminary data, globally averaged combined land and sea surface temperature was 9th warmest on record for December 2005.
  • December temperatures were above average across much of the globe including Canada, the majority of the African continent, the U.S. Southwest, and parts of Siberia. Colder-than-average conditions occurred in the U.S. Southeast, western South America and parts of Asia.
  • Precipitation during December was above average in the Amazon Basin, the U.S. Northeast, and southeastern Asia, with drier-than-average conditions in the United Kingdom, eastern Australia and the southern U.S.
  • Conditions in the equatorial Pacific continued to trend toward a developing La Niña.

Contents of this Section:



The data presented in this report are preliminary. Ranks and anomalies may change as more complete data are received and processed. The most current data may be accessed via the Global Surface Temperature Anomalies page.

Top of PageIntroduction

Temperature anomalies for December 2005 are shown on the two maps below. The dot map on the left provides a spatial representation of anomalies calculated from the Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN) data set of land surface stations using a 1961-1990 base period. The map on the right is an experimental blended product of a merged land air and sea surface temperature anomaly analysis which is based on data from the GHCN of land temperatures and the Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (COADS) of Sea-Surface Temperature (SST) data. Temperature anomalies with respect to 1961-1990 for land and ocean are analyzed separately and then merged to form the global analysis. Additional information on this product is available.

During December 2005, temperatures were more than 3°C above average across large parts of Canada, Alaska, and the Middle East, parts of Siberia and the southwestern U.S. Cooler than average temperatures were observed in France, Japan, central Asia, the eastern U.S., and along the western coast of South America.

Warmer than average SSTs occurred over the North Pacific and North Atlantic. Cooler than average conditions were observed off the coasts of Ecuador, Peru, Mexico and in the Niño 3 region.
Current season's Land Surface Temperature Dot map
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Current season's blended Land and sea surface Temperature Dot map
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The mean position of upper level ridges of high pressure and troughs of low pressure (depicted by positive and negative 500 millibar height anomalies on the December 2005 map) are generally reflected by areas of positive and negative temperature anomalies at the surface, respectively. For other Global products see the Climate Monitoring Global Products page.

Images of sea surface temperature conditions are available for all weeks during 2005 at the weekly SST page.


Top of Page Temperature Rankings and Graphics

Current Month / Year-to-date
December Anomaly Rank Warmest Year on Record

Global

Land
Ocean
Land and Ocean

+0.33°C (+0.59°F)
+0.41°C (+0.74°F)
+0.39°C (+0.70°F)

33rd warmest
8th warmest
9th warmest

1939 (+1.09°C/1.96°F)
1997 (+0.61°C/1.10°F)
1997 (+0.62°C/1.12°F)

Northern Hemisphere

Land
Ocean
Land and Ocean


+0.30°C (+0.54°F)
+0.42°C (+0.76°F)
+0.37°C (+0.67°F)


35th warmest
6th warmest
13th warmest


1939 (+1.61°C/2.90°F)
2004 (+0.57°C/1.03°F)
2003 (+0.65°C/1.17°F)

Southern Hemisphere

Land
Ocean
Land and Ocean


+0.06°C (+0.11°F)
+0.38°C (+0.68°F)
+0.32°C (+0.58°F)


55th warmest
9th warmest
13th warmest


1972 (+0.78°C/1.40°F)
1997 (+0.61°C/1.10°F)
1997 (+0.64°C/1.15°F)

Global Land and Ocean Triad plot
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Global Hemisphere Triad plot
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January-December Anomaly Rank Warmest Year on Record

Global

Land
Ocean
Land and Ocean

+0.91°C (+1.64°F)
+0.44°C (+0.79°F)
+0.58°C (+1.04°F)

2nd warmest
2nd warmest
2nd warmest

1998 (+0.97°C/1.75°F)
1998 (+0.47°C/0.85°F)
1998 (+0.62°C/1.12°F)

Northern Hemisphere

Land
Ocean
Land and Ocean


+0.96°C (+1.73°F)
+0.51°C (+0.92°F)
+0.69°C (+1.24°F)


2nd warmest
warmest
2nd warmest


1998 (+1.02°C/1.84°F)
2nd - 2004 (+0.50°C/0.90°F)
1998 (+0.70°C/1.26°F)

Southern Hemisphere

Land
Ocean
Land and Ocean


+0.67°C (+1.21°F)
+0.40°C (+0.72°F)
+0.45°C (+0.81°F)


2nd warmest
6th warmest
4th warmest


1998 (+0.77°C/1.39°F)
1998 (+0.47°C/0.85°F)
1998 (+0.52°C/0.94°F)

Global Land and Ocean Triad plot
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Global Hemisphere Triad plot
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The most current data may be accessed via the Global Surface Temperature Anomalies page.


Top of Page Precipitation

The maps below represent anomaly values based on the GHCN data set of land surface stations using a base period of 1961-1990. During December 2005, above average precipitation fell over areas that include the Amazon Basin, the Philippines, India, the western and northeastern U.S., and central Europe. Below average precipitation was observed in the Iberian Peninsula, South Africa, eastern Australia, Hawaii and from the U.S. southern Plains northward to the Great Lakes region.


Precipitation Dot map in Millimeters for December
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Percent Precipitation Dot map for December
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Top of Page ENSO SST Analysis




Last week of the month's ENSO condtions Map
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  • SSTs were below average in the eastern equatorial tropical Pacific during December, indicating the possible development of La Nina conditions (shown in the adjacent animation of weekly sea surface temperature anomalies). A comprehensive summary of December 2005 ENSO conditions can be found on the ENSO monitoring page. For the latest advisory on ENSO conditions go to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) and the CPC ENSO Diagnostic Discussion

  • Images of sea surface temperature conditions are available for all weeks during 2005 at the weekly SST page


Top of Page References


Peterson, T.C. and R.S. Vose, 1997: An Overview of the Global Historical Climatology Network Database. Bull. Amer. Meteorol. Soc., 78, 2837-2849.

Quayle, R. G., T. C. Peterson, A. N. Basist, and C. S. Godfrey, 1999: An operational near-real-time global temperature index. Geophys. Res. Lett., 26, 333-335.

Smith, T. M., and R. W. Reynolds (2005), A global merged land air and sea surface temperature reconstruction based on historical observations (1880-1997), J. Clim., 18, 2021-2036.


Citing This Report

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Monthly Global Climate Report for December 2005, published online January 2006, retrieved on November 5, 2024 from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/global/200512.