February 2023 was Earth’s 4th-warmest February on record

 

 https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2023/03/february-2023-was-earths-4th-warmest-february-on-record/

 

 by Jeff Masters March 14, 2023

February 2023 was Earth’s fourth-warmest February since global record-keeping began in 1850. It was 0.97 degree Celsius (1.75°F) above the 20th-century average, NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information reported March 14. NASA also rated February 2023 as the fourth-warmest February on record, 1.24 degrees Celsius (2.23°F) above the 1880-1920 period, which is its best estimate for when preindustrial temperatures occurred. February 2023 was the fifth-warmest February on record according to the European Copernicus Climate Change Service and fourth-warmest according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Minor differences in the agencies’ rankings can result from the different ways they treat data-sparse regions such as the Arctic. Note that new research by NOAA has now extended the global temperature record back to 1850 (an extra 30 years); the February 2023 report is the first one that uses this new dataset. The new dataset has also improved its handling of missing data regions like the Arctic.

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Arctic sea ice extent during February 2023 was the third-lowest in the 44-year satellite record, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. However, winter ice extent is a poor indicator of what the ice extent will be in summer and fall.

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Antarctic sea ice extent in February was the lowest on record. By Feb. 14, it had broken the all-time seasonal low record set on Feb. 25, 2022, and has remained below the previous all-time low the rest of the month. Low Antarctic sea ice is concerning since the ice helps buttress land-based ice shelves that can contribute to sea level rise if not stabilized. Formation of Antarctic sea ice also helps drive an important ocean current system, the overturning thermohaline circulation, as explained in a Feb. 12 article at Inside Climate News.

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Among global stations with a record of at least 40 years, seven set, not just tied, an all-time heat record in February, and no stations set an all-time cold record:

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As of the end of February 2023, three nations or territories had set or tied an all-time national cold record:

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Seventeen nations or territories have set monthly all-time heat records in 2023:

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