Annual Global Lower Troposphere Temperature (TLT) Anomaly Update – Distant Third Warmest for 2015

As expected, annual global lower troposphere temperature (TLT) anomalies in 2015 for both the RSS and UAH datasets ranked a remote third warmest.  See Figures 1 through 3.

Figure 1 (RSS)

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Figure 2 (UAH)

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Figure 3 (RSS-UAH Comparison)

RSS data through December 2015 are here.  UAH data (beta 6.4) are here through November, and the December 2015 value of +0.44 deg C is from Dr. Roy Spencer’s blog post here.

Keep in mind, however, that lower troposphere temperature anomalies are expected to rise sharply in 2016 in a lagged response to the 2015/16 El Niño. See the post Evolutions of Global Surface and Lower Troposphere Temperature Anomalies in Responses to the 1997/98 and 2015/16 El Niños.

Next on the list is a post presenting meteorological annual mean (December-November) surface and lower troposphere temperature anomalies. I’m waiting for UKMO to publish their November 2015 HADCRUT4 values.