NOAA: 2007 a Top 10 year, temp-wise

ASHVILLE, N.C., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- The year 2007 could be one of the 10 warmest years for the contiguous United States and the globe since records have been kept, meteorologists said.

Globally, the surface temperature for 2007 is expected to be fifth warmest since records began being kept, Science Daily reported Monday.

The preliminary annual average temperature for 2007 across the lower 48 states will likely be just more than 54 degrees, about 1.5 degrees higher than the 20th century average of 52.8 degrees, said the National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. The data establish 2007 as the eighth warmest on record in the continental United States since such information began being kept in 1895.

The global temperature -- combining land and ocean surfaces -- for 2007 is expected to be near 58 degrees, making it the fifth warmest year since records began in 1880, NOAA said.

Information on 2007 temperatures will be updated in January to include the last three weeks of December. A full analysis will be done in the spring.