NOAA reported this morning that the record warmth in December helped make 2016 the second warmest year on record for the lower 48 states, with an average temperature of 54.4 F, compared to the record-setting year of 2012, which was 55.3 F. Every state in the Southeast set a new statewide record for December temperature, most by a significant margin.
For the year to date, Florida was the record warmest, South Carolina the 4th warmest, North Carolina and Georgia the 5th warmest, and Alabama the 10th warmest on record (since 1895). South Carolina was also the 4th wettest and North Carolina the 5th wettest for the year. You can read more about it at https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/summary-info/national/201512.
