2000 Among Warmest Years on Record, U.S. Says

The year 2000 is ending on a nippy note for much of the nation, but overall the country’s temperatures were above normal for the year.

Although the final measurement will depend on conditions during the remaining two weeks, the average U.S. temperature in 2000 is projected to be 54.1 or 54.2 degrees Fahrenheit, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday.

That’s well above the long-term average of 52.8 degrees and would make 2000 the seventh- to 12th-warmest year in 106 years of record keeping. It will be down from the 54.5-degree average of 1999 and from 1998’s all-time record, 54.9 degrees.

The finding probably will add to the debate over global warming, which many scientists believe is happening because of carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by humans.

In its annual review of the year’s weather, the climate center noted that heat waves and drought plagued much of the Southern and Western United States, while the Midwest and Northeast had long periods that were cooler and wetter than normal.

July 2000 was the coolest July on record in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and the second coolest in New York. Rainfall was above average in 15 states across the Northeast and Midwest during the summer.

In contrast, the South and West struggled with months of below-normal rain and above-normal temperatures, resulting in severe drought and widespread wildfires. In the deep South, it was the third summer of below-normal moisture. Indeed, the driest May-October on record occurred in the region.

The driest July-September on record occurred in the region of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, followed by torrential rains that brought flooding to many cities.

The year recorded fewer tornadoes than average, and, although Atlantic hurricane activity was above average for the third consecutive year, the country escaped a serious landfall.

Worldwide, average surface temperatures also were warmer than normal. Global precipitation also was above average in 2000.