As USA Today puts it, Earth is still running a fever. Land temperatures worldwide hit new records last month, while in the U.S. temperatures were about average.

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration news release says:

• The global land surface temperature was the warmest on record for March, 3.3°F above the 20th century mean of 40.8°F. Temperatures more than 8°F above average covered much of the Asian continent. Two months after the greatest January snow cover extent on record on the Eurasian continent, the unusually warm temperatures led to rapid snow melt, and March snow cover extent on the Eurasian continent was the lowest on record.

• The global surface (land and ocean surface) temperature was the second warmest on record for March in the 129-year record, 1.28°F above the 20th century mean of 54.9°F. The warmest March on record (1.33°F above average) occurred in 2002.

• Although the ocean surface average was only the 13th warmest on record, as the cooling influence of La Niņa in the tropical Pacific continued, much warmer than average conditions across large parts of Eurasia helped push the global average to a near record high for March.

• Despite above average snowpack levels in the U.S., the total Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent was the fourth lowest on record for March, remaining consistent with boreal spring conditions of the past two decades, in which warming temperatures have contributed to anomalously low snow cover extent.

• Some weakening of La Niņa, the cold phase of the El Niņo-Southern Oscillation, occurred in March, but moderate La Niņa conditions remained across the tropical Pacific Ocean.

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