Warm December pushes 2006 to record year

WASHINGTON (AP) Preliminary government data show last year was the warmest on record for the U.S.<br/> <br/>Experts say temperature readings were pushed over by the unusual and unseasonably warm weather

Tuesday, January 9th 2007, 9:32 pm

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) Preliminary government data show last year was the warmest on record for the U.S.

Experts say temperature readings were pushed over by the unusual and unseasonably warm weather during the last half of December.

The average temperature for the 48 contiguous states last year as 55 degrees Fahrenheit. That's 2.2 degrees warmer than average and just slightly warmer than 1998, the previous warmest year on record. Worldwide, it was the sixth warmest year on record.

The National Climatic Data Center says it's not clear how much of the warming is a result of greenhouse-gas induced climate change and how much resulted from the current El Nino warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean.