Higher “normal” U.S. temperatures

Abstract

Temperatures across the United States were approximately 0.5°F warmer on average from 1981 to 2010 than they were from 1971 to 2000, according to data about new climate “normals” released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center (NOAA NCDC) on 1 July. In the new normals the annual maximum and minimum temperatures for every state in the continental United States increased on average, according to NCDC director Thomas Karl. The normals, updated once each decade, are 30‐year baseline averages of climatological variables including average temperature and precipitation for more than 7500 locations across the United States, according to NOAA. They are useful for a number of purposes including assisting local weather forecasters in comparing daily weather conditions and helping farmers with crop selection and planting decisions.