What is a temperature anomaly?
• A temperature anomaly is the difference between a temperature value and a reference baseline. The baseline value is often a 30–year, centennial, or period–of–record average. [ Read More ] Why use temperature anomalies and not absolute temperature measurements? Anomalies allow for the comparison and combination of data from different datasets by standardizing values against a common baseline. Anomalies also reveal important behavioral traits within the data. [ Read More ] What is a climate normal? Normals are generally averages of climate elements such as temperature or precipitation over a 30–year period.
