US shatters record for warmest March -- and first three months of a year
By Miguel Llanos, msnbc.com
The temperature analysis released by the U.S. government each month usually isn't all that riveting, but the one that came out Monday is a doozy -- and not just for weather wonks. Highlights for the contiguous U.S. (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) include:
•Last month was the warmest March on record (records go back to 1895) at 51.1 degrees; this is 8.6 degrees above the 20th century average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
•January-March was the warmest first quarter on record; the average temperature of 42 degrees was 6 degrees above average.
•April 2011-March 2012 was the warmest stretch of those 12 months on record; at 55.4 degrees, that period was 2.6 degrees above average.
•In March, 15,292 records were broken for warmth; 7,775 were new daytime highs in cities across the country and 7,517 were new nighttime highs.
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http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/ ... -year?lite