NOAA - March 2004 Warmest On Record For Southwestern States

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WASHINGTON, DC, April 19, 2004 (ENS) - "New Mexico had its warmest March on record this year, the Southwest region as a whole had its warmest March on record, and an additional 30 states were warmer than average in March 2004, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports.

Virtually all parts of the Lower 48 states experienced warmer than average temperatures in March, according to scientists at the NOAA Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina. The West, Southeast and parts of the Northeast were unusually dry, while precipitation was above average across the middle of the nation.

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The global monthly average temperature was the second warmest on record for the month of March.

Preliminary data indicate the average temperature for the Lower 48 states in March was 47.7 degrees F (8.7 degrees C), which was 5.2 degrees F (2.9 degrees C) above the 1895-2003 mean, the third warmest March on record. Florida was the only state with a near-normal March temperature, while Alaska was cooler than average."

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http://forests.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=30928