For those of you who have been reading my articles over the years, you probably know that the end of the December and the beginning of January means it’s time to reflect on the previous year’s weather.
I like to start off with a global view and then zoom in to Canada and then, finally, the three Prairie provinces.
Before we start, it’s worth noting that the analysis of global temperatures for November has come out and, if you haven’t already guessed, it was another month of record warmth for the planet.
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All the different agencies that analyze global temperatures rated November 2023 as the warmest November on record, and not by just a little bit. It was a large margin.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stated that November’s global temperature was 1.44 C above the 20th century average and was 0.01 C above the previous record for largest departure from average of any month, a bar that was set in September this last year.
NASA reported November’s mean global temperature at 1.67 C above the pre-industrial average, for which they use the period 1880-1899. This is the second-highest departure from average for this dataset, behind September 2022, which was 1.7 C above the pre-industrial average.
Copernicus had November coming in at 1.75 C above the pre-industrial average, but their pre-industrial period is from 1850-1900.
Any way you look at it, November was a record warm month. It was also the sixth consecutive month with record global temperatures and the 47th consecutive November with above-average values.
That means the last below-average November, globally, was in 1976.
Not surprisingly, the January to November period is also the warmest on record, which means that 2023 will likely go down was the warmest year on record. Some researchers looking at ice cores and tree ring data to extend the temperature records are suggesting that 2023 could be the warmest year in the last 100,000 years.
There is another interesting point to note: Historically, the warmest El Niño temperatures occur during the second El Niño year, which would mean 2024 could see more record-breaking global heat.
Summing it up
OK, now on to some of the global weather highlights for 2023. I went through the top global weather stories on a month-by-month basis, and here’s what I found:
January
- An already storm-weary California was expecting more wind, rain and flooding.
- Antarctica set a record low sea ice extent.
February
- Europe recorded its second-warmest winter on record.
- California received record winter rains and snows to help alleviate drought conditions.
March
- Spain recorded its second warmest and driest March on record.
- Global temperatures were the second-warmest on record.
April
- The Southern Hemisphere recorded its second-warmest April on record.
- Europe recorded its third-driest January to April period on record.
- Global ocean temperatures set a record high in April, the second-highest ocean temperatures for any month.
May
- Several hundred wildfires broke out over Canada, burning over 6 million acres and causing widespread smoke.
- South America and North American both recorded their warmest May on record.
- May 2023 was the second-warmest globally.
June
- Global temperatures broke the 1.5 C global warming threshold.
- The third consecutive month of record high global surface ocean temperatures.
July
- Record-breaking North Atlantic Ocean temperatures contributed to extreme marine heatwaves.
- June 2023 saw record warmth in global surface air and sea surface temperatures.
- Second-warmest July in North America, warmest July in South America, and greatest anomaly of any month on record.
- July 2023 saw multiple global temperature records broken.
- July 2023 was the warmest month in Earth’s recent history.
August
- Record high global sea surface temperatures continued in August.
- North America had its warmest August and summer on record.
- South America had its warmest August and warmest June-to-August on record.
- Hong Kong saw its warmest August and summer on record.
September
- Antarctic sea ice saw fifth consecutive record low month and record low maximum.
- Europe recorded its warmest September on record.
- September 2023 was the warmest on record by a large margin.
- 2023 was on track to be the hottest year ever.
October
- Seventh consecutive month of record-breaking global ocean surface temperatures.
- South America saw another record warm month.
- 2023 was still on track to be the warmest year after record October.
November
- Global temperature exceeded 2 C above pre-industrial average on Nov. 17.
- North America, Europe, Asia and Japan all recorded warmest autumn on record.
- Global ocean surface temperatures continued record highs.
- Record warm November consolidated 2023 as the warmest year.
As you can see, most of the big weather stories of 2023 globally had to do with extreme heat in one form or another.
Send off
I’ll continue our look back in the New Year but, in the meantime, I would like to leave you with a little holiday gift. Here is a holiday weather poem written by myself, with a little help from artificial intelligence, as I am definitely not a poet:
Amidst the winter’s embrace, a meteorological dance,
Christmas holidays woven into the atmospheric trance.
Beneath a crystalline sky, a temperature descent,
An arctic air mass, its frigid intent.
Snowflakes, hexagonal crystals, descend with grace,
Their delicate descent, a meteorological embrace.
Caroling winds carry tales of yuletide cheer,
As holiday spirits rise, and warmth draws near.
Cumulus clouds gather, a congregation on high,
Forecasting a storm, snowflakes multiply.
Santa’s sleigh, a sleight of meteorological hand,
Navigating weather patterns across the land.
Radiational cooling, as the night takes hold,
Thermodynamic processes meticulously told.
Hoarfrost adorns, as the air reaches its dew,
A frozen ballet, adorned in festive hue.
The barometer falls, a low-pressure plea,
Cyclogenesis whispers tales of a Christmas spree.
Trade winds carry wishes, a seasonal affair,
A climatic ballet, beyond compare.
The solstice arrives, with its axial tilt,
A celestial waltz, with patterns built.
Jet streams meander, atmospheric flow,
Guiding Santa’s sleigh through the holiday glow.
In the midst of winter, atmospheric might,
A synoptic canvas, a weathered sight.
In this scientific theatre, elements conspire,
To create a Christmas meteorological choir.
