-- Diane Alter - Fourth Estate Cooperative Reporter

Washington, D.C., United States (4E) - Following a mild winter in most areas of the United States, spring continued the tepid trend.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports May will end as the second warmest on record in the United States. In addition, the agency said that the spring period of March through May will go down as the warmest on record since record keeping began in 1895.

May's average temperature over the contiguous United States was 64.3 degrees, or 3.3 degrees above normal.

For spring, the average was 57.1 degrees, 5.2 degreed above normal. The previous record was set in 1910; this spring beat that year by 2 degrees.

According to NOAA, the 12 months from June 2011 to May 2012 is the warmest 12-month period of any 12 months on record.

Much of the United States enjoyed warm temperatures. In the contiguous United States, only Oregon and Washington state had spring temperatures near normal.

Data beginning Jan. 1 through the end of May show many cities are off to their warmest start since record keeping began at their locations.

Chicago has enjoyed its warmest spring in 54 years. New York City has experienced its warmest in 137 years. Philadelphia is on track for its warmest spring in 72 years, and the District of Columbia's spring is the warmest in 50 years.

The complete report can be read at ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/2012/5.

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More Weird News From 2012-06-08 The day's stories from around the world. NOAA: Spring warmest since 1910 « Current Weird News Stories

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