Global Highlights:

• Based on preliminary data, global average combined land and sea surface temperature for December 2004 - February 2005 tied 1999 as the 4th warmest on record. February 2005 was 9th warmest on record.
• December - February temperatures were above average from northern Europe into Siberia and also covered large parts of southern Asia, Africa, Australia and western Canada. Colder-than-average conditions occurred in much of eastern Canada, northwest Africa, parts of southern Europe and central Asia.
• Precipitation during December - February was above average over the southwestern U.S., Alaska, and Scandinavia, with drier than average conditions over the majority of Australia, the Pacific Northwest of the U.S., and western Europe
• Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) continued to be above normal in the central equatorial Pacific during February

Contents of this Section:

• Introduction
• Global Temperatures
• Global Precipitation
• ENSO SST Analysis
• References

Introduction

Temperature Rankings and Graphics

Precipitation

ENSO SST Analysis

Click here for animated loop

• SSTs continued to decrease in the eastern equatorial Pacific, but remained above normal in the central and western equatorial Pacific during February (shown in the adjacent animation of weekly sea surface temperature anomalies), as a weak warm phase ENSO (El Niño) continued . A comprehensive summary of February 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

References