Warmest Annual Periods

The 2015 annual average temperature was the second warmest on record. The figure below features the temperature departures from the 20^th century average for 2015 (large map) and the rest of the five warmest years on record: 2012 (warmest), 2006 (3^rd), 1998 (4^th), and 1934 (5^th). Red shades represent climate divisions that experienced a warmer than average temperature for the annual period. Blue shades represent those that were cooler than average.

Three of the last ten years are represented in the five warmest for the CONUS. Much of 2015 was marked by extreme warmth in the West and cold in the East, but during late 2015, record warmth spanned the East with near-average temperatures across the West. This resulted in an above-normal annual temperature for each of the 344 climate divisions in the CONUS.