A quick update for sea ice extent:
- Global Sea Ice is 330,000 sq km above the 1981-2010 mean.
- Antarctic Sea Ice is 931,000 sq km above the 1981-2010 mean. For two days in a row Antarctic Sea Ice has been 2nd highest for the that day.
- Arctic Sea Ice is only 600,000 sq km below the 1981-2010 mean. And Arctic Sea Ice Extent probably reached its maximum for 2014 on March 20. That would be the 5th lowest in the satellite era.
Data here. Graphs below. Click for bigger.
sunshine hours 
earth climate has always been cyclic…during the gold rush, Seattle was the “frozen north” and earth was coming out of a “mini” ice age…it is natural, when the cycle climbs back out of a “mini” ice age, for area weather to change…as in Seattle, which now sees rain for the most part, and rarely sees snow…the “polar vortex” pushed by the media as “climate change” is a seasonally recurring phenomenon, some years stronger than others, as we have seen this year…it is arrogant of the “climate change” pushers to presume that mankind can do anything to affect global climate…the most we can do is protect ourselves in some areas…i am glad, for instance, that the LA basin actually has some clear days now…but to say that the abatement of LA smog is “healing the planet” is the height of human arrogance
Cleaning the air may have caused some warming. I have a few posts on that issue.