U.S. experiences hottest spring in its history

June 16, 2000 Web posted at: 10:47 p.m. EDT (0247 GMT)

From Environment Correspondent Natalie Pawelski

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (CNN) -- This has been the hottest spring -- and, so far, the warmest year -- in the history of the United States, top weather experts say.

"Previous seasons, you might see a portion of the United States this much above normal. Now we're seeing the majority of the United States that was much above normal," said Jay Lawrimore of the National Climatic Data Center.

The center reported Friday that meteorological spring -- March through May -- averaged 55.5 degrees Fahrenheit across the United States. That's 0.4 degrees warmer than the previous record, set in 1910. The new record temperatures have made the year 2000, so far, the warmest year for the United States.

Temperatures are also rising around the world for the last three years, said Tom Ross of the NCDC. With the year almost half over, global temperatures so far are the second hottest on record.

Some of that heat is credited to La Nina, a band of colder than normal water in the tropical Pacific.

"Superimposed over that, you have what may be global warming," said Lawrimore.

Worldwide, it was the 24th consecutive March-May period in which temperatures were warmer than average over the northern hemisphere, a NCDC report said.

http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/06/16/hot.spring/index.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), June 17, 2000