Originally Posted by
todd1200
A couple of thoughts. Why does the NCDC exclude Alaska, about a 1/3 of U.S. landmass, from its report? Data are easily available and could be included in the headline of the report to which you linked. In fact, here is another page in the same NCDC report:
State of the Climate | National Overview | Annual 2012
From that report:
Alaska temperatures in 2012 were below the 1971-2000 average. The annual temperature for Alaska was 2.3°F below average, which ranked as the 11th coolest year on record for the state. Alaska had its coldest January on record with a statewide temperature 14.0°F below average and statewide temperatures remained cooler than average for much of the rest of 2012. Winter temperatures (December 2011-February 2012) were 1.4°F below the 1971-2000 average, spring temperatures were 2.7°F below average, summer temperatures were 0.7°F below average, and autumn temperatures were 1.1°F below average.
Global warming is supposed to be worse at the poles than in temperate or equatorial regions. So why exclude Alaska? I suspect it is because they wouldn't have their record then. I suspect that had Alaska brought the number up it would have been included.
WW