Record Warm March for the U.S.

Spring heat dominated the weather pattern across this country last month. Locally in NYC, March 2012 was our second warmest March on record.  Nationally, it was the warmest March ever for the contiguous United States.

As a whole, the country registered an average temperature of 51.1°F, which is 8.6°F above the 20th century average for the month.  According to the NOAA report released this week, every state in the lower forty-eight experienced at least one record warm day.  A total of 15,272 daily high temperature records were broken.

Scientists say the same reasons that caused this year’s record warm winter brought us an unusually mild March.  They include La Nina, the North Atlantic Oscillation, and their influence on the position of the Jet Stream.

NOAA is forecasting a continuation of this warm trend, especially in the eastern and southern parts of the country.