January 2012 One of Top Five Warmest Ever

A report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration identified January 2012 as the fourth warmest January on record for the contiguous U.S. 

In the contiguous U.S., the average temperature for January was 36.3 degrees which is 5.5 degrees above normal range. This makes the month not only the fourth warmest of its kind in history, but also the warmest since 2006.

"It's warmer this year mainly because of the jet stream pattern," said AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Michael Pigott. "Generally, for the most part of the winter, it has been on a west-to-east pattern. Meteorologists refer to this as a 'zonal flow.' Essentially, we've seen a lot of storms moving from west to east, and not a lot traveling northward or southward. So, anything in the Arctic is staying up there, and anything in the U.S. is staying put as well. If you have north-to-south undulations in the jet stream, you do get warmer air heading northward to the poles, and colder air comes down toward the U.S. from the Arctic."