March was fourth hottest on record - except in the United States
WASHINGTON - U.S. government forecasters calculated that for most of the Earth, last month was one of the hottest Marchs on record - except in the United States.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday that it was the fourth hottest March in 135 years of records. The overall global temperature was 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit or 0.7 degree Celsius warmer than the 20th century average.
But in the United States, March was about a degree cooler than normal, or about a half a degree Celsius. It was the 43rd coolest March on record.
Slovakia had its hottest March on record while South Korea and Latvia had their second warmest. Northern Siberia was 9 degrees, or 5 C, warmer than normal. Norway and Denmark averaged nearly 7 degrees, or 4 C, warmer than normal.