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Figures as of November 14, 2026, from each chart's current data.

Chart 1 of 1 · Climate

How much has the US warmed since 1895?

The chart's answer: The contiguous US averaged 54.6°F in 2025. The warmest year since records began in 1895 was 2024, at 55.5°F. Through 2025, the dashed trend line, the straight line that best fits every year, rose about 0.18°F a decade, or 2.3°F since 1895, and warming had sped up to about 0.5°F a decade since 1970. Alaska and Hawaii aren't included.

Key numbers (Average temperature, °F (contiguous U.S.))

Questions

  1. Find the warmest and coolest years on the chart. How many degrees apart are they?

    • Highest: 55.48 (2024)
    • Lowest: 50.05 (1917)

  2. Why might one year be much cooler than the year before, even while the trend line keeps rising?

    • 1895 to 2025: up 4.29 (+9%)
    • Biggest rise from one point to the next: 2.72, 1920 to 1921

  3. The axis doesn't start at zero here, but bar charts always do. Why is that fair for temperatures but not for bars?

    • First on the chart: 50.33 in 1895

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance (Public domain (U.S. government work)) · Data as of Dec 31, 2025 · chart.ly/charts/us-average-temperature

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