From PBS NewsHour.

Federal weather officials say last month was by far the warmest March on record for the continental U.S.

Data released Wednesday showed the average temperature was 50.9 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s more than 9 degrees higher than the 20th century average, which officials use as a benchmark to measure present-day temperatures.

Experts say nearly 20,000 daily records were shattered across the country in March. The sweltering heat was inescapable for millions of Americans, from summerlike conditions on the West Coast to record low snowpack in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada. Forecasters expect that trend to continue.

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