​U.S. was hotter than average in 2014 for 18th straight year

Though the country fell short of setting a temperature record for the year, 2014's weather proved to be tumultuous -- and costly, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its annual climate report, released Thursday.

Though it sounds like a distant memory with much of the country in a deep freeze right now, every state in the contiguous 48 saw above-average temperatures in December, making it the second warmest December on record.

Many scientists were predicting that 2014, which set five monthly heat records, would end up the warmest year on record. It didn't. But it was above the 20th century temperature average, for the 18th year in a row.

Alaska, Arizona, California and Nevada reached record-setting heat. Nine states in the west had a top 10 warm year, and seven states in the Midwest and Mississippi River Valley saw top 10 cold.

NOAA's report said that there were eight weather and climate related disaster events with losses that exceeded $1 billion each, including the drought on the West coast and flooding in Michigan and the Northeast.