Nation’s average temperature increases by .5 degrees

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has some news for us.

    Temps are rising in the U.S., but it’s probably not a change you can feel; average temperatures are up .5 degrees.

    Data released by the NOAA’s National Climatic Data center show a “new normal” trend. Normals are a 30-year baseline average for climate variables and are used to understand climate conditions. Normals are updated every decade, and the newest information reflects data from 1981 to 2010 (previous numbers reflected 1971 to 2000 trends).

    This map shows normal changes by state. Our area saw a .3-degrees change.

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