This morning NOAA released the monthly climate statistics for the US for January 2018. While we have been cold and dry here in the Southeast, more than half the lower 48 states have been well above normal in temperature. The country as a whole was in the top third of all years since 1895 for temperature, and some areas in the Southwest and California set new records for warmest ever Januaries. Meanwhile, a lot of the Southeast has been drier than normal, with the driest areas in northeastern Alabama and northwestern Georgia.You can see many more graphs at https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/us-maps/1/201801#us-maps-select and read the synopsis at https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-201801.
