NOAA: ’07 likely to be 8th warmest in U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A vast swath of the U.S. was warmer than usual this year, leading to severe drought conditions and wildfires in the West and Southeast. Texas stood alone, the only one to record below average temperatures.

Preliminary data released Thursday by federal scientists predict the annual average temperature for 2007 across the contiguous United States at near 54.3 degrees Fahrenheit — making the year the eighth warmest since records were first kept in 1895. Worldwide, the average temperature for the year, expected to be near 58 degrees Fahrenheit, is on pace to be the fifth warmest ever, said the report by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center.