March smashes record as most abnormally hot month for continental US, federal meteorologists say

March’s persistent unseasonable heat was so intense that the continental United States registered its most abnormally hot month in 132 years of records, according to federal weather data. March’s average temperature of 50.85 degrees Fahrenheit (10.47 degrees Celsius) was 9.35 F (5.19 C) above the 20th century normal for March. Six of the nation’s top 10 most abnormally hot months have been in the last 10 years.