National Climatic Data Center
Asheville, North Carolina
5 March 2005

• December-February temperatures were much above average for the nation, with most states, especially those in the central U.S., averaging warmer than the long-term mean.
• The precipitation signal was mainly wet in a band from the Southwest to the Northeast, with extreme dryness across the Northwest for the winter season. The Southeast also received less than average precipitation. For more information on drought during the 2004-2005 winter, please visit the U.S. Drought page.

• February temperatures were above average for most of the U.S. For information on temperature records during the month, please go to NCDC's Extremes page
• The precipitation signal was much wetter than average in the Southwest with conditions in the Northwest remaining much drier than average. For more information on drought during February, please visit the U.S. Drought page
• Indices used to determine the state of ENSO suggest that the Equatorial Pacific was in a weak warm phase (El Ni�o), with Sea Surface Temperatures continuing above normal across the central equatorial Pacific during February, though with somewhat weaker positive anomalies than in previous months. To see the latest NOAA advisory and typical impacts of a La Ni�a or El Ni�o episode for the U.S., go to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

• February 2005 ranked as the 14th warmest February in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature was 38.4�F (3.6�C), which was 3.8�F (2.1�C) above the long-term mean.
• February 2005 had near average precipitation, nationally, ranking 55th driest.
• December-February temperature was much above average and ranked as the 10th warmest such period in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature for December-February was 35.9�F (2.2�C) which was 2.8�F (1.6�C) above the long-term mean.
• December-February had near average precipitation, ranking 38th wettest in the last 110 years.
• The March 2004-February 2005 temperature was much above average and ranked as the 6th warmest such period in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature was 54.3�F (12.4�C) which was 1.5�F (0.8�C) above the long-term mean.
• Precipitation was also much above average for March-February, ranking 3rd wettest for the last 12 months based on a record of 110 such periods.
  
  Regional and Statewide:
  
  
• February 2005 temperatures ranked much above average for 5 Midwestern states. A further 37 states in the contiguous U.S. had above average temperature and no state in the lower 48 averaged below the long-term mean temperature.
• Alaska temperatures were above average for February and winter, ranking 29th and 15th warmest respectively.
• February was record wet for New Mexico and second wettest for Arizona. Montana had its driest February on record and a further 4 northwestern states had much below average precipitation.
• The 3 month period, December-February, was warmer than average for much of the nation, with 10 states much warmer than average. Only 9 states were near average.
• December-February 2005 was much wetter than average for 8 states, including New Mexico, which had its wettest winter on record. Eleven states were below the mean and 3 states were much drier than average.
• March-February 2005 was warmer than average for almost the entire nation. Only Maine, in the contiguous U.S., was near average for temperature and no state was significantly cooler than average over the last 12 months.
• The last 12 months were much wetter than average for much of the nation, with Pennsylvania and Ohio having their wettest March-February on record.

  See NCDC's Monthly Extremes web-page for weather and climate records for the month of February.