Dutch cooling

by Kees Bakker Moderator - 12/29/08 4:16 AM

From the site of the Dutch meteorologic institute: http://www.knmi.nl/VinkCMS/news_detail.jsp?id=44754

"In De Bilt, the daily average temperature in 2008 was 10.6 degrees (Celsius) compared to 9.8 degrees (the long-term average for 1971-2000). This past year was less warm than the previous years: both 2006 and 2007 with 11.2 degrees were by far the hottest across the measurements of more than three centuries. The ten warmest years were all after 1988 and are now already five years from the 21st century in the top ten. The year 1996 was the only colder one during the last two decades. The winter that year was also the last winter with an average temperature of just below freezing."

The questions remaining:
- Does this has any bearing on the long-time trend? Will the cooling (from 2007 to 2008) continue? Or will it be reversed in 2009? We'll see in a year!
- This are local data. What are the global data? After all, the earth is bigger than just the Netherlands.

Kees