ASHEVILLE, N.C., March 18 (UPI) -- The winter of 2004-2005 was the 10th warmest on record, U.S. weather scientists reported.
Data collected at the National Climatic Data Center showed temperatures from December 2004 to February
2005 were much above normal, the scientists said, as drier-than-average conditions persisted in the Northwest and heavy precipitation affected the Southwest.
The global average temperature was fourth warmest on record for December-February.
Based on preliminary data, the data center reported that the average temperature for the contiguous United States this winter was 35.9 degrees Fahrenheit (2.2 degrees Celsius), which was 2.8 degrees F (1.6 degrees C) above the 1895-2004 mean.
The mean temperature in 39 states was above average, and no state was cooler than average during the winter, the scientists reported.
Winter precipitation was near average for the nation overall, with unusually dry conditions in the Northwest, parts of the northern Plains and the Southeast countering above average wetness from the Southwest to the Great Lakes and Northeast.
