Summary: In this study, we are investigating, on the basis of 28 selected stations situated in the eastern half of the North Atlantic and in Europe, between the longitudes 35 °W and 45 °E and the latitudes 70 °N and 35 °N, and the monthly temperature anomalies observed during the period 1901–1960, the conservation probabilities of the signs of temperature anomalies in subsequent months.

It is found, that the conservation probability values are not the same during a year, but they are exhibiting a more or less important annual variation. This annual variation is mainly in Western and Central Europe a characteristical one, where the highest tendency of the conservation of anomalies is appearing in summer, and the lowest is occurring at the end of autumn and at the beginning of winter. The number of high conservation probability values, indicating the existence of a realistic statistical relationship, is essentially lower in Central Europe than in the Oceanic area under investigation. Thus, the applicability of statistical methods in the field of long-range forecasting of temperature anomalies is rather a limited one in this area.

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