What to make of “hottest day ever?”

Vincent J. Curtis

6 July 23

RE: Tuesday set unofficial record for hottest day on Earth.  AP story by Melima Wallace and Seth Borenstein The Hamilton Spectator 6 July 23.

Ref: The UMaine temperature graph, included on the Twitter announcement.

The UMaine temperature chart forms the basis for the claim of the ‘hottest day ever recorded.’ You’ll notice that the global average temperature starts in January at about 12.5℃, rises to about 17℃ in summer, and then falls back to 12.5℃ in December.  The northern hemispheric bias is staring at you.  The other funny thing is the annual fluctuation of 4.5 degrees annually.

We’re constantly told that the planet cannot stand a 1.5 or 2 degree rise in temperature, and that a rise of 3 or 4 degrees would spell climate disaster.  Well, the planet annually goes through a fluctuation of 4.5 degrees, according to the chart, greater than the most fearful scenarios and no climate disaster appears.  And even if disaster lay 1.5 degrees above annual maximum, the planet would fall below the danger level within two months.

The other funny thing is the hemispheric bias.  The earth is closest to the sun in the Northern winter and furthest away in the Northern summer, but the chart shows the planet at its hottest when furthest away and coldest when closest to the sun.  This makes no sense if the temperature shown were truly global.

The climate crazies seized on the UMaine chart because it purported to show what they wanted, that man is overheating the planet.  They didn’t look close enough.

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