The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has published its global and national data for February and for the past winter months. It demonstrates as clearly as anything could that what's happening locally, even nationally, does not necessarily reflect the global trends that we all need to be concerned about.
In the contiguous United States, February was cool, averaging 2.2 degrees below the long-term average. Nearly two-thirds of the nation experienced below-normal temperatures. The averages were much below normal in the southeast, the Plains and mid-Atlantic states. Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York's Central Park and Wilmington, Del. all had their snowiest winters ever.
Florida had its fourth-coldest February since records began in the 19th century, and Louisiana had its fifth-coldest. On the other hand, Maine had its third-warmest winter on record. It was also warmer than average in the Northwest.
It was also a warm February - and a warm winter globally, according to NOAA. The combined global land and ocean surface temperature for February was the sixth warmest on record. The global land surface temperature alone for the month was tied with 1994 as the 14th warmest.
While it was unusually cold in the U.S., Mexico, Europe and Russia, most of the rest of the globe's land masses were warmer than average in February, especially Alaska, Canada, the Middle East and North Africa.