ELISSA NADWORNY, HOST:
If it feels like it's been a really warm spring where you are, you're not imagining it. New federal climate data explains why many of us have been opening the windows or turning on the AC much earlier than usual. Rebecca Hersher from NPR's climate desk is here with more. Hi, Rebecca.
REBECCA HERSHER, BYLINE: Hi.
NADWORNY: So how hot has it been exactly?
HERSHER: Well, let's focus in on March. So temperature records for the contiguous U.S. - they go back a hundred thirty-two years, and this March was the hottest March ever recorded. It was more than 9 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the 20th century average for that month. And we're talking here about the average temperature for the whole month across the whole contiguous U.S., so, you know, a lot hotter than normal in a lot of places.
NADWORNY: Where, in particular, did you see these high temperatures?
HERSHER: Well, the western U.S. was definitely a hot spot. And I talked to Russell Vose about this. He's a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
RUSSELL VOSE: There was a lot going on in March. Ten states in the western part of the country had their warmest March on record.
HERSHER: And I actually want to list those 10 states because if you live in one of them, you probably just experienced record-breaking heat. So here we go in alphabetical order. Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming all broke their records for the hottest March ever. It's not just the West. Actually, nearly the entire country had a really warm March with just a couple exceptions in states along the Canadian border.
NADWORNY: So why was March so hot?
HERSHER: Well, it helps to zoom out a little bit because it's not actually a one-month trend. The last year, from last April through this March, was the hottest 12-month period ever for the contiguous U.S. And the short answer to why is climate change. You know, global temperatures are rising steadily because humans burn oil and gas and coal, and those fossil fuels release planet-warming pollution into the atmosphere. So it's not that surprising to see temperature records be broken like this. I mean, I've gotten used to it in a weird way because I cover this for my job, and I've lost count of how many temperature records I've seen get broken in the last decade. There are also other things at play. La Nina was happening for some of last year. That's a cyclic pattern that comes out of the Pacific. It can affect temperatures, especially in the southern U.S., but climate change is the big fish here.
NADWORNY: So other than heat waves, what are some other effects that these record temperatures bring?
HERSHER: Well, we really have to talk about drought because hot air, it dries out the soil. It contributes to drought. Drought conditions are increasing in the U.S., especially in the West. California actually had its driest March ever recorded. There was less than a quarter inch of precipitation that fell in California for the entire month. So reservoirs are really low. People rely on that water to drink, to grow crops, to manufacture things. On top of that, hot, dry conditions make large, intense wildfires more likely. So it's really shaping up to be a potentially catastrophic year for wildfires as well, because this hot weather, unfortunately, it's not expected to go away in the coming months.
NADWORNY: NPR's Rebecca Hersher. Thank you.
HERSHER: Thanks. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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