U.S. Records Warmest Winter On Record


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	U.S. Records Warmest Winter On Record posted: 09:22 am ET 13 March 2000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The winter of 1999-2000 was the warmest winter in the United States since the government began keeping records 105 years ago, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said on Friday.

This marked the third year in a row that record warmth was recorded in the United States during the winter months. Since 1980 more than two-thirds of U.S. winters have been warmer than average, NOAA said.

The average U.S. temperature from December to February was 38.4 degrees Fahrenheit (3.6 degrees Celsius); six-tenths of a degree warmer than the previous record set last year.

"During the past winter, every state in the continental United States was warmer than its long-term average, with 21 states from California to the Midwest ranked as much above average," NOAA said in a statement.

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It was also the 16th driest on record, NOAA said.

The government blamed the warmer temperatures and lack of moisture on the La Nina weather phenomenon. During a La Nina period, sea surface temperatures are cooled, leading to lower rainfall in parts of the world, including in the United States.

La Nina also shifts the location of the jet stream, raising temperatures across the United States. The latest La Nina period began in mid-1998 and scientists predict it will continue well into 2000.

NOAA also said global warming, which most scientists believe is caused by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels like coal and gas, was partly to blame for the temperature spike.