The USA is on track to have its warmest winter since records began, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Data from the US government agency’s monthly climate report showed that December 2019 and January 2020 – the first two months of meteorological winter – had been the warmest for the period in the contiguous USA since record-keeping began in 1895.
According to NOAA, the average national temperature for the first two of winter’s three months was 35.95°F (2.19°C). This is a slight increase on the previous record set between December 2005 and January 2006 and around 4.5°F warmer than the average winter of the 20th century.
According to meteorologists, the record warmth was due to the mild weather being unusually prolonged and widespread, with 13 states experiencing a top-10-warmest January.
With February proving to be equally mild in many parts of the USA there’s a chance it could turn out to be the warmest winter on record, although a cold spell in the Western USA in early February may prevent this.