Adding to a slew of recent dire news about the global climate, a report released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that March through May of this year was the warmest such stretch ever in the contiguous United States since record keeping began in 1895.

According to the report, the national temperature for the past three months averaged 57.1 degrees, easily topping the previous high of 55.1 degrees set over a century ago, in 1910. That mark was also over five degrees higher than the long-term average, making it the largest departure from average for any season on record in the U.S.

Further, the report found that the one-year period from last June through May was the also warmest ever recorded in the mainland United States, with an average temperature an even five degrees above the long-term average.

The abnormal temperatures over the past three months resulted in the warmest March, third warmest April, and second-warmest May on record for the nation as well. It’s the first time all three months in one season - the NOAA demotes March through April as spring for record keeping purposes -ranked in the 10 warmest since record keeping began.

The report comes days after […]