For the U.S., 2016 Was the Second Warmest Year on Record

Chris Dolce
Published: January 9,2017
Near-record warm temperatures blanketed the United States from coast to coast in 2016, propelling the Lower 48 to its second warmest year on record. It was also a costly year with 15 weather-related events with a preliminary price tag of a billion dollars or more.
The annual report from NOAA's National Centers For Environmental Information (NCEI) released Monday says that the average temperature for the Lower 48 in 2016 was 54.9 degrees Fahrenheit, 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average (1901-2000). Only 2012 was warmer with an average temperature of 55.3 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Temperature rankings for the U.S. during 2016 in each state. A ranking of 122 would be the warmest year on record for a given state, while a ranking of 1 would be the coldest year on record for a state. (NOAA/NCEI)

Georgia was the lone state in the Lower 48 that saw a record warm year, while 10 other states saw their second warmest year on record. All other states finished 2016 ranked among their seven warmest years on record.
Outside the contiguous United States, Alaska observed a record warm year as well. This is the third year in a row that our nation's 49th state has set a new record warm benchmark for a calendar year.
NOAA says that 2016 was the 20th year in a row that the annual average temperature in the Lower 48 has exceeded the long-term average. Additionally, temperatures have trended upward by 0.15 degrees Fahrenheit each decade in the U.S. since 1895 when records began.
(MORE: Record Warm Year For the Earth Also Likely)
Precipitation in the U.S. was also above average in 2016, but not to the extent that the warmth was. NOAA said that it was the twenty-fourth wettest year on record dating to 1895.
(2016 RECAPS: Top Weather Stories | Weirdest Weather | Best Photos)
Minnesota and Wisconsin experienced their second wettest year on record, while Connecticut (fourth driest), Georgia (ninth driest), and Massachusetts (10th driest) had one of their top 10 driest years in 2016.

Costly Weather Disaster Year

The United States endured 15 weather-related billion-dollar disasters in 2016, the second most to occur in a given year dating to 1980, according to NOAA. Only 2011 had more with 16 weather-related disasters costing that much.

Locations and dates of the 15 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2016.

Severe thunderstorms and flooding accounted for the largest number of disasters costing a billion dollars or more with eight and four such events for each, respectively. Hurricane Matthew, wildfires and drought made up the rest. A combined 138 people lost their lives during those weather events.
The four inland flood events that cost a billion or more dollars in 2016 is double for that type of event in any year since 1980.
Hurricane Matthew and the catastrophic flooding that struck Louisiana in August have the highest preliminary damage costs at $10 billion a piece.
The damage cost of all 15 disasters combined added up to a preliminary estimate of $45 billion. That $45 billion estimate for all 15 disasters ranks as the eighth highest for a calendar year, behind 1992, 1993, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2012.

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