By the numbers
Based on the report, the average temperature in the contiguous U.S. last year was 54.2 F, 1.4 degrees above the 20th century norm.
Updated 00:07, October the 16th, 2008
Mass. temps rise again in ’07
BOSTON. After a historically hot 2006, last year was the 10th warmest on record in the U.S., and Massachusetts was not spared.
According to a report released yesterday by Environment Massachusetts, the number of recorded days over 90 degrees Fahrenheit more than doubled in the Commonwealth compared to the historical average.
“The evidence of global warming continues to build up around us,” said Rob Sargent of Environment Massachusetts. “Temperatures are rising in Massachusetts and across the country. While one or two degrees may not seem like much, any parent with a sick child knows that even a small rise in temperature can have a big effect.”
The report localized NASA results that show seven of the world’s eight warmest years on record occurring since 2001.
Massachusetts experienced its eighth warmest year in 2001, and matched that result in 2002. Then, in 2006, the state saw a 2.4-degree surge over the historical average, good for the fourth warmest year on record, according to the report.
