Despite a warm 2012 January in the U.S., overall January temperatures over the last 15 years have fallen off a cliff - falling at a minus seventeen degrees per century rate
For many in the U.S., this past January was a pleasant weather experience as the recent years' frigid winter temperatures took residence in other parts of the world. Here's a typical winter weather story that other geographical regions have experienced:
"Germany’s no. 1 daily Bild reports on the Killer Cold now paralyzing Europe and Asia, and calls it the worst in 25 years. The cold has hit Eastern Europe especially hard, with temperatures plummeting to -30°C throughout the Ukraine and Poland. So far the cold has claimed 139 lives, with 3 in Germany...In Serbia, over 6 feet of snow have fallen over the last few weeks. In Turkey heavy snows have have blanketed much of the country...new cold record had been set in Finland: minus 39°C was recorded in Northern Finland....In the Urals and Siberia, the temperature fell to -40C while in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, a forecaster told Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency the wind-chill factor meant the real temperature was down to -52C..."
Fortunately, the continental U.S. was spared that awful winter weather this January. But as the above chart shows, our warm January did not do too much to change the long-term cooling that the month of January has brought us - that 'January month' cooling trend (blue arrow) is still in a spectacular double-digit per century rate decline.
When all months are included (not just January), the U.S. has experienced a cooling trend contrary to all "consensus" CO2-based climate predictions; this second chart shows the moving 12-month period over the last 15 years (180 months) through January 2012.
The 15-year period ending in January was the 5th warmest in the past 15 years; for all January months on record, it was the 4th warmest since 1895.
Note: Linear trends are not predictions. Charts from NOAA / NCDC site. (click on charts to enlarge)
Additional modern, regional and historical temperature charts.