From NPR.

It was an extremely warm winter in the Western United States, with multiple states setting new records this year.

The Lower 48 states were nearly five degrees Fahrenheit hotter this winter, compared to the country’s average winter during the 20th century, according to NOAA. Nine states had their warmest winters ever recorded, going back to 1895: Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma. Three of those states smashed their previous record by more than 2 degrees. Forecasters say 2026 is very likely to clock in as one of the seven warmest years for the planet, as a whole.

The Earth is rapidly warming up because humans are burning fossil fuels, which release pollution that traps extra heat in the Earth’s atmosphere.

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