No kidding, 2010 was warm

So far, two out of three of the "major" global temperature reporting agencies, NASA and NOAA, have just come out with summaries of 2010, and for the calendar year comparison, 2010 tied with 2005. It should be noted that the skeptics' favorite year, 1998, is third behind both these years, and tied with a number of other of the 2000-2009 years. And there are significant differences between 1998 and 2010, too.

2010 tied with 2005 for warmest year in the surface temperature record

NCDC Global Climate Analysis for 2010

NOAA/NCDC:

For 2010, the combined global land and ocean surface temperature tied with 2005 as the warmest such period on record, at 0.62°C (1.12°F) above the 20th century average of 13.9°C (57.0°F). 1998 is the third warmest year-to-date on record, at 0.60°C (1.08°F) above the 20th century average.

NASA:
NASA Research Finds 2010 Tied for Warmest Year on Record

WASHINGTON -- Global surface temperatures in 2010 tied 2005 as the warmest on record, according to an analysis released Wednesday by researchers at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York.

The two years differed by less than 0.018 degrees Fahrenheit. The difference is smaller than the uncertainty in comparing the temperatures of recent years, putting them into a statistical tie. In the new analysis, the next warmest years are 1998, 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2007, which are statistically tied for third warmest year. The GISS records begin in 1880.

Meanwhile on the satellite side, the UAH lower tropospheric temperature data from satellites also has 2010 in a statistical tie, but this time with 1998.

December 2010 UAH global temperature update

So everything is consistent with 2010 as a very warm year, as if we didn't know that already. Despite the December-January cold in a few isolated (but highly publicized) northern hemisphere regions.

Now we have to see what the UK Met Office says about December 2010 and the year 2010.