Weather in U.S. in 2014 Not too Bad

On a day when much of the U.S. struggled with cold, U.S. meteorologists said America’s weather in 2014 wasn’t really that bad.

They announced Thursday that the U.S. average temperature in 2014 was half a degree warmer than normal and weather was less disastrous and drought-struck than previous years. While 2014 was warmer than 2013 in the lower 48 states, it was still only the 34th warmest on record.

That contrasts with the experience of the world as a whole. Globally, it will likely go down as the warmest year on record.

Japan’s meteorological agency has already calculated 2014 as the warmest year worldwide. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will announce global 2014 figures next week, but data through November point toward a new record.