Today, NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information released their annual review of the 2015 climate of the United States. The year closed with a record warm December for the Lower 48, capping off the country's second-warmest year in the historical record. According to the press release,

The 2015 annual average U.S. temperature was 54.4°F, 2.4°F above the 20th century average, the second warmest year on record. Only 2012 was warmer for the U.S. with an average temperature of 55.3°F. This is the 19th consecutive year the annual average temperature exceeded the 20th century average. The first part of the year was marked by extreme warmth in the West and cold in the East, but by the end of 2015, record warmth spanned the East with near-average temperatures across the West. This temperature pattern resulted in every state having an above-average annual temperature.

The animation at right recaps the 2015 national temperature, starting with the annual average and then scrolling through each month from January-December. A zip file with individual maps is available at right, below the image.

More 2015 climate information

Billion-dollar weather and climate disasters

December 2015 summary and annual recap

U.S. climate extremes