UPDATE: Published. Not in moderation.

Over at WUWT I have a couple of comments in moderation in the argument about US climate data. This one of them (slightly clarified).

 

Zeke is quoted: “The way that NCDC, GISS, Hadley, myself, Nick Stokes, Chad, Tamino, Jeff Id/Roman M, and even Anthony Watts (in Fall et al) all calculate temperatures is by taking station data, translating it into anomalies by subtracting the long-term average for each month from each station (e.g. the 1961-1990 mean)”

To create a 1961-1990 baseline, you would have 360 monthly values.

The USHCN monthly data has error flags. The E flag means the data for that month is Estimated. There is not enough daily data to created a monthly value.

There are ONLY 51 stations that had 360 values without an E flag from 1961-1990.

That means only 51 out of 1218 stations have relatively complete data to use as a baseline.

 

WY MORAN 5 WNW USH00486440 is one of the 51

WY NEWCASTLE USH00486660 is one that failed. 61 months of the 360 had an E flag. (Admittedly my comment had a typo over at WUWT).

And I just looked at the E flag. There lots of other flags.

 

Here is the other comment:

 

Anthony, you should double check Zeke’s work.

Using USHCN Final Tavg dated v2.5.0.20140622

July 2012 – 880 Stations have data without the E for Estimated flag.

There are 1218 stations.

27% of the July 2012 Stations are missing data.

July of 1895 has 472 station reporting Real (non-Estimated) data

61%. of the July 1895 stations are missing data.

Now remember, I am only look at the monthly records. Monthly records avoid the E flag if there are enough daily data. It doesn’t mean there is data for every day.