AGU prize-winning climate hoax communicator Gavin Schmidt: Remember when the U.S. was cold, and I told you that U.S. temperatures weren't meaningful? Now that the U.S. was warm, I just remembered that U.S. temperatures *are* meaningful

Twitter / ClimateOfGavin: Do you remember when differences ...

Do you remember when differences of <0.1ºC in the US temperature record high were the centre of attention? http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/08/1934-and-all-that/ … #thatwasthen

Flashback: It's a rule: During cold snaps, the contiguous US is only 1.5 percent of the Earth's surface, and short time periods are meaningless. During warm spells, both US-only data and short time periods *are* meaningful

NASA: Many have noted that the winter has been particularly cold and snowy in some parts of the United States and elsewhere. Does this mean that climate change isn't happening?

Gavin Schmidt: No, it doesn't, though you can't dismiss people's concerns and questions about the fact that local temperatures have been cool. Just remember that there's always going to be variability. That's weather. As a result, some areas will still have occasionally cool temperatures -- even record-breaking cool -- as average temperatures are expected to continue to rise globally.

NASA: So what's happening in the United States may be quite different than what's happening in other areas of the world?

Gavin Schmidt: Yes, especially for short time periods. Keep in mind that that the contiguous United States represents just 1.5 percent of Earth's surface.

Flashback: 2009: Second Warmest Year on Record; End of Warmest Decade

"Of course, the contiguous 48 states cover only 1.5 percent of the world area, so the U.S. temperature does not affect the global temperature much,' said Hansen.