Warmer than average temperatures dominated most of the United States this April.  According to NOAA’s monthly climate report released yesterday, this was the third warmest April on record for the lower forty-eight states.

As a whole, the country averaged a temperature of 55.7°F, which is 3.6°F above average. Most of the heat was centered near the Rocky Mountains and the southern plains, where over 300 daily high temperature records were broken.  No state, however, experienced below average temperatures.

Following this country’s warmest March on record and fourth warmest winter, April’s above average temperatures were not much of a surprise.  Experts attribute the intensity of the continued warmth to the persistent northerly track of the jet stream and a combination of climate change issues, both natural and man-made.