Winter Weather 2017: Why Isn't It Colder? Record Warm Temperatures Hit Most Of US

Spring begins soon in the United States, but much of the nation has already experienced warm weather for a while now. The majority of America saw temperatures that were hotter than average throughout the season, according to a report released Thursday by Climate Central, a nonprofit climate research organization.

In an analysis of 1,500 weather stations across the nation, Climate Central found that 84 percent showed winter temperatures that were warmer than typically recorded. Forty percent of the places surveyed had a winter that ranked among the 10 warmest on record. One hundred and seventeen of the weather stations showed a record-breaking warm winter.

Areas across the nation saw temperatures reach into the 70s in February. The unusual weather in places like Chicago caused spring to arrive early: plants and flowers began blooming weeks earlier than they normally do.

“I can only say how things are shaping up so far, but so far, it’s shockingly early,” Theresa Crimmins, the assistant director of the National Phenology Network, told Climate Change about spring’s early arrival.

The nation’s warm winter came on the heels of an incredibly warm 2016. Last year was the second warmest year on record for the U.S. as a whole, according to a report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It also marked the 20^th year in a row in which the annual average temperature in the U.S. was above the 20^th century average.

The warmer than average temperatures will likely continue into the spring months, according to the Climate Prediction Center.

Warming temperatures present a problem for the Paris Agreement, a decision signed by 193 nations in an effort to lower global temperatures in a worldwide effort to combat climate change. Nations in the agreement pledged to limit the rise in temperatures to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite the increasingly warm weather, keeping temperatures within that range is still possible if countries aggressively cut carbon emissions, scientists said.