Warmest Jan Ever

From an AP story on MSNBC:

Recording the warmest January on record allowed Americans to save on their heating bills. But like all good things, last month's mildness seems to have been too good to last. The country's average temperature for the month was 39.5 degrees Fahrenheit, 8.5 degrees above average for January, the National Climatic Data Center said Tuesday. The old record for January warmth was 37.3 degrees set in 1953. The records go back to 1895 when detailed climate records began being collected. During January, none of the 48 contiguous states had below-average temperatures - and 15 states in the northern Plains, Great Lakes and Midwest had record high temperatures for the month. More than 74 percent of the country was classified as "much above normal" when compared to the 1961-1990 climate normal. The Climate Data Center said that only twice since 1895 has more than 74 percent of the nation had a much above-normal temperature - March 1910 and November 1999.