Surface air temperature anomalies in February 2023 compared to the average February 1991-2020. Data source: ERA5. Source: Copernicus Climate Change Service / ECMWF. (The large February 2023 temperature differences in northern Italy are related to a data issue in ERA5 and should be considered with caution. The problem is very local and does not override the European-wide numbers.)
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Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S)which is implemented by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts on behalf of the European Commission, routinely publishes monthly climate bulletins reporting on changes observed in the global system. surface air temperatureAnd sea ice And hydrological variables. All reported results are based on computer-generated analyzes using billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world.
Temperatures in February 2023:
- February 2023 was the fifth warmest globally on record
- Air temperatures in most of Europe were above average, especially northern Norway, Sweden and the Svalbard region
- Above-average temperatures have been measured in the eastern United States, northern Russia, Pakistan, and India
- Below-average temperatures have been recorded across the Iberian Peninsula, Turkey, western United States, Canada, northeastern Russia, and northern Australia.
State of sea ice in February 2023:
- Antarctic sea ice has reached the lowest monthly level on record, 34 percent below the average for the month of February, breaking the previous record set in February 2017.
- The extent of daily sea ice in Antarctica has also reached a minimum, surpassing the previous record set in February 2022.
- Sea ice concentrations were well below average across all sectors of the Southern Arctic Ocean.
- The extent of Arctic sea ice was 4 percent below average, ranking as the second lowest for the month of February alongside February of 2016 and 2017.
- Arctic sea ice concentrations were below average in the Barents Sea and the Svalbard region.
Time series of average monthly anomalies in Antarctic sea ice extent for all February months from 1979 to 2023. Anomalies are expressed as a percentage of the average February for the period 1991–2020. Data source: EUMETSAT OSI SAF Sea Ice Index v2.1. Source: Copernicus Climate Change Service / ECMWF / Eumetsat.
According to Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S, – Our latest data shows that sea ice in Antarctica has reached the lowest level measured in the 45 years that measurements have been going on. the The reduced extent of sea ice could have dire consequences for the stability of the Antarctic ice sheet and ultimately for global sea level rise.. Polarisar is a sensitive indicator of the climate crisis and it is important to follow closely the changes that are taking place there.”
Time series of daily Antarctic sea ice extent for 2017 (blue), 2021 (red), 2022 (yellow), and 2023 (black). The graph shows in shades of gray the daily mean (solid line), the interquartile range (light shading) and the interquartile range (dark shading) over the period 1991-2020, as well as the daily minimum and maximum during 1979-2022 (dashed lines). . Data source: EUMETSAT OSI SAF Sea Ice Index v2.1. Author: C3S / ECMWF / EUMETSAT.
Hydrological highlights in February 2023:
- In February 2023, western and southern Europe experienced drier than normal conditions. Record low soil moisture was measured in several regions.
- The weather outside Europe was wetter than usual. Especially in the southern United States and some regions of Russia, central and eastern Asia, northern Australia, southern Brazil, southeastern Africa, and New Zealand. In many cases, heavy rainfall, sometimes associated with hurricanes, has led to flooding.
- Among the driest regions are parts of South America, which have experienced drought and wildfires, as well as southern Australia and southern western Africa.
Precipitation anomalies, surface air relative humidity, volumetric moisture content of the top 7 cm of soil, and surface air temperature for February 2023 relative to average February values for the period 1991–2020. Dark gray shading indicates places where soil moisture is not shown due to ice cover or climatically low precipitation. Data source: ERA5 Source: Copernicus Climate Change Service / ECMWF.
Arctic Winter 2022/2023
- The winter was the second warmest on record for Europe, with above-average temperatures across Eastern Europe and parts of Northeastern Europe.
- The Arctic winter was drier than normal in large parts of western and southeastern Europe, as well as in parts of Russia. Wetter-than-average conditions developed over parts of the Iberian Peninsula and in a large area from the southwest to the northeast.
- Rains in western North America, western Russia, parts of central Asia, northern Australia, southern Brazil and southern Africa were wetter than average. Areas drier than the Mediterranean included Mexico, most of Central Asia, the Horn of Africa, southern Australia, and most of South America.
Video materials accompanying the maps are available here.
More information about February weather changes, climate updates from previous months, HD graphics and video can be downloaded here.
Answers to frequently asked questions about temperature monitoring Existing here.
Information about the C3S dataset and how to compile it
Temperature and hydrology maps and data are from the ERA5 data of the ECMWF’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Sea ice maps and data are drawn from a combination of information from ERA5, as well as from EUMETSAT OSI SAF Sea Ice Index v2.1, Sea Ice Concentration CDR/ICDR v2 and fast-track data provided on request by OSI SAF.
The listed regional averages have the following latitude/longitude limits:
First Earth, 180W-180E, 90S-90N. In total.
Europe, 25W-40E, 34N-72N, Overland only.
More information is available here.
Information on national data and impact
Information on national data and impact is based on national and regional reports. For more details see each month’s temperature and hydrological C3S Climate Bulletin.
C3S followed the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recommendation to use the latest 30-year period for calculating climate averages and changed to the 1991-2020 reference period for C3S Climate Bullets covering January 2021 onwards. Figures and graphics for both the new and previous period (1981-2010) have been provided for the sake of transparency.
More information about the reference period used is available here.
About Copernicus and the ECMWF
Copernicus is part of the European Union’s space program, funded by the European Union, which is the flagship program for Earth observation. The company operates through six thematic services: Atmosphere, Marine, Land, Climate Change, Security and Emergencies. It offers freely available operational data and services that provide users with reliable and up-to-date information about our planet and its environment. The program is coordinated and managed by the European Commission and implemented in partnership with Member States, the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), the European Center for Medium Distance Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), EU agencies, Mercator Océan and others.
The ECMWF operates two services of the European Union’s Copernicus Earth Observing Programme: the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). They also contribute to the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS), which is implemented by the European Union Joint Research Council (JRC). The European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is an independent intergovernmental organization supported by 35 countries. It is a 24/7 operational and research institute that produces and disseminates digital weather forecasts to its member states. This data is fully available to the National Meteorological Services of the Member States. The supercomputer facility (and associated data archive) at the ECMWF is one of the largest of its kind in Europe and member states can use 25 percent of its capacity for their own purposes.
ECMWF has expanded the number of locations in which it operates. In addition to the UK headquarters and computing center in Italy, new offices focusing on activities carried out in partnership with the European Union, such as Copernicus, will be located in Bonn, Germany.
Copernicus Atmosphere Observing Service Networkhttp://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/
Copernicus Climate Change Networkhttps://climate.copernicus.eu/
More information about Copernicus:www.copernicus.eu
ECMWF website:https://www.ecmwf.int/
#EUSpace
[1] Large February 2023 temperature differences in northern Italy are related to a data issue in ERA5 and should be considered with caution. The problem is very local and does not cancel out the numbers for the whole of Europe.
Media connection
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