It may be cold comfort for Americans in the East and Midwest who shivered through blizzards and subfreezing blitzes, but this past winter was the second-warmest on record for the continental United States, federal meteorologists calculated Monday.
The Lower 48 states averaged 37.13 degrees Fahrenheit (2.85 degrees Celsius) from December through February, which is considered meteorological winter. That's just one-third of a degree below that of the warmest winter, a record set two years ago. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration winter temperature records go back 131 years. The U.S. winter average temperature is 32.2 F (0.1 C).
The higher average temperature was driven primarily by the area west of the Mississippi River, which largely missed out on winter this year, said Russell Vose, NOAA's climate monitoring chief. The West saw record or near-record warmth all winter, while the East had cold spells that weren't as extreme in comparison to the West's heat. A greater land area of the country also saw unusual warmth over bitter cold.
“The East, especially the Northeast, had winter,” Vose said. “In the West, there were certainly places where you could say we missed the winter.”
Nine states broke or tied records for the warmest winter: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wyoming, according to NOAA. By comparison, the state with the coldest rank for the winter was Delaware, and it only had its 28th coldest on record. Eight of the record-warm states are in the top 10 in land area for the Lower 48, while Delaware is the second-smallest.
And the cold, while it seemed harsh and long-lasting, didn't stretch all winter, said Yale Climate Connections meteorologist Jeff Masters.
“We had a pretty impressive long stretch of unbroken cold that was very notable. But the total duration for the whole winter, not so much," he said.
February was the fourth-warmest on record nationally with Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Wyoming having their warmest February on record. January was the 24th-warmest month nationally, and December was the fifth-warmest.
In the past 50 years, winter in the Lower 48 states has warmed by 3.95 degrees Fahrenheit (2.19 degrees Celsius), far more than any of the other three seasons, according to NOAA.
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FILE - Maureen Regan and Rich Regan walk with their dogs, Rooney, Nutella, and Mia, in the aftermath of a winter storm, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, in Kings Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa, File)
FILE - Two boys take a break from swimming in the Pacific Ocean at Windansea Beach under sunny skies and warm weather, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
FILE - Maryann Slovin begins clearing out her driveway and sidewalk in Hockessin, Del., on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, as a snow storm moves through region. (AP Photo/Suchat Pederson, File)
Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III is the new running back for Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, Miami settled on Malik Willis for a reset at quarterback and receiver Mike Evans is headed to San Francisco after 12 years in Tampa Bay.
People with knowledge of the agreements told The Associated Press on Monday, the opening day of NFL free agency, that Walker was leaving Seattle after winning a championship and the Dolphins reached a deal with Willis after announcing earlier in the day that they were releasing Tua Tagovailoa.
The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because contracts can't be signed until Wednesday, the first day of the new league year.
The negotiating window opened with a flurry of significant deals, including the Indianapolis Colts keeping their top free agent in receiver Alex Pierce.
Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and the Carolina Panthers agreed on a four-year, $120 million contract with $80 million guaranteed. Philadelphia was hoping to retain Phillips after sending a third-round pick to Miami for him at the trade deadline last season. Phillips had five sacks combined for the Dolphins and the Eagles.
The Dallas Cowboys added edge rusher Rashan Gary in a trade with Green Bay for a 2027 fourth-round pick. The Packers acquired star Micah Parsons from the Cowboys a week before the season started last year. Gary was the 12th overall pick in the draft in 2019, two years before Dallas drafted Parsons in the same spot.
Tennessee was among the teams with the most to spend going into free agency and tapped connections to first-year coach Robert Saleh and new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll on a busy day for the Titans.
Walker and the Chiefs agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $45 million, with $28.7 million guaranteed. The 25-year-old fills perhaps the biggest need as the Chiefs try to bounce back from a 6-11 season. Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, their top two running backs, are both free agents.
The deal came as Kansas City was nearing an agreement to bring back four-time All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce for his 14th season.
Walker is the fourth Super Bowl MVP to change teams the following season: Larry Brown went from the Cowboys to the Raiders in 1996, Desmond Howard from the Packers to the Raiders in 1997 and Dexter Jackson from Tampa Bay to Arizona in 2003.
The Dolphins reached an agreement with Willis a few hours after dumping Tagovailoa, who later agreed to a one-year deal with Atlanta, and incurring a record $99 million hit on their salary cap. Willis will reunite with general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and first-year coach Jeff Hafley. They were together in Green Bay, where Willis spent the past two seasons.
Miami made another move by agreeing to trade safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets for a seventh-round pick.
The Jets further revamped their defense by agreeing to deals with former Saints linebacker Demario Davis, who will return for a third stint in New York, and former Bengals edge rusher Joseph Ossai.
The 49ers added a proven pass catcher in Evans for quarterback Brock Purdy, agreeing to a three-year contract with a player who had 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first 11 seasons before injuries limited Evans to eight games in 2025.
The move for the 32-year-old comes with the Niners planning to release Brandon Aiyuk; they placed him on the reserve/left squad list last season after he stopped showing up to rehabilitate a knee injury that had sidelined him for a year.
The Colts keeping Pierce on a $116 million, four-year deal coincided with them sending Michael Pittman Jr. to Pittsburgh for a late-round draft pick. Pittman spent his first six seasons with Indianapolis.
Tennessee's headliners were defensive end John Franklin-Myers and cornerback Alontae Taylor on deals with annual average values of at least $20 million. Franklin-Myers played for the Jets when Saleh was head coach.
The Titans filled a need at receiver by adding Wan’Dale Robinson, who was drafted by the Giants when Daboll was a rookie head coach in 2022. Daboll was fired by the Giants last season.
Another former Giants player, cornerback Cor’Dale Flott, also is headed to the Titans, who are rebuilding a battered secondary and have a decision looming on L’Jarius Sneed’s future.
The 25-year-old Robinson was the first player 5-foot-8 or shorter with 1,000 yards receiving since 5-7 Richard Johnson in 1989 and the third since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Robinson had 1,014 yards on 92 catches.
Davis was drafted in the third round by the Jets in 2012 and returned in 2017 after a year in Cleveland. The 37-year-old played the last eight seasons for the Saints — including five with current Jets coach Aaron Glenn as the defensive backs coach.
Ossai had five sacks in each of the last two seasons for Cincinnati.
The Vikings kept one of their unrestricted free agents off the market by agreeing to terms on a new contract with 10th-year veteran linebacker Eric Wilson, a three-year deal valued at $22.5 million, with $12.5 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network.
Wilson, who returned to his original team last season, had career highs in tackles for loss (17), sacks (6 1/2), quarterback hits (10) and forced fumbles (four).
Cleveland added guard Zion Johnson, a 2022 first-round pick who spent his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. The Browns are looking at an overhaul in the offense, with several starters in free agency.
Running back J.K. Dobbins is returning to Denver on a two-year contract. He ran for 772 yards and four touchdowns over 10 games before a foot injury in November ended his season. Dobbins returned to practice before the AFC championship game but didn’t dress for the Broncos' 10-7 loss to New England.
Detroit agreed to a contract with Larry Borom, the likely replacement for Taylor Decker after he asked for his release before the start of free agency. Borom has 38 starts over five seasons with Miami and Chicago. The Lions also added Cade Mays, who started 20 games at center the past two seasons in Carolina.
Buffalo has a starting need at cornerback and agreed to a $10.1 million, three-year deal with Dee Alford. He has 23 starts in 64 games over four seasons with Atlanta. Alford could start opposite Christian Benford.
The Giants brought in two players familiar to new coach John Harbaugh from his time in Baltimore, adding tight end Isaiah Likely and All-Pro punter Jordan Stout. They also filled a defensive need with linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
Looking to bounce back from a 5-12 season, Washington spent big money in free agency to sign edge rusher Odafe Oweh, while also bringing back starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Oweh’s contract is worth $100 million over four years, with $68 million guaranteed.
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FILE - Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce runs a route during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Jan. 4, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Maria Lysaker)
FILE - Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis speaks during a press conference after an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Dec. 27, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer, File)
FILE - Green Bay Packers defensive end Rashan Gary lines up during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Nov. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/David Dermer, file)
