NOAA Reports Warmest Year on Record
According to the NOAA in a press release on January 9th, the 2006 average annual temperature for the U.S. was the warmest on record. December ended as the the fourth warmest December since records began in 1895. During 2006, the annual average temperature was 55 degrees F—2.2 degrees F above the 20th Century mean and 0.07 degrees F warmer than 1998. 1998 was a very warm year as well. The unusually warm temperatures during much of the first half of the cold season (October-December) helped reduce residential energy needs for the nation as a whole. Even in Denver, which had its third snowiest December on record and endured a major blizzard that brought the city to a standstill during the holiday travel season, the temperature for the month was 1.4 degrees F warmer than the 1971-2000 average. Five states had their warmest December on record (Minnesota, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire) and no state was colder than average in December.