Winter in the Northern Hemisphere this year has been the warmest since records began more than 125 years ago, a US government agency says.
The combined land and ocean surface temperature from December to February was 0.72C (1.3F) above average.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said El Nino, a seasonal warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean, had also contributed to the warmth.
But it did not see the high temperature as evidence of man-made global warming.
The Noaa said that temperatures were continuing to rise by a fifth of a degree every decade. The 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 1995.
Weather experts predict that 2007 could be the hottest year on record.
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