Yakima in 2015 was hotter than the Dust Bowl

With five months smashing high temperature records in Yakima last year, it’s no surprise that 2015 was the hottest year on record for the region and for the state.

Last year’s average temperature of 50 degrees was 3.9 degrees above normal – breaking the record set during the Dust Bowl year of 1934 by 0.9 degrees, according to a new analysis from Washington State University.

Washington is one of four states that had record-setting warm weather last year, along with Oregon, Montana and Florida.

Meanwhile, Idaho, California and Alaska recorded their second warmest years since 1895.

The warmer-than-usual trend was even stronger in the Yakima region than the statewide average. Here, 2015 was 5.5 degrees above the normal of 49.7, according to National Weather Service data.

Even snowy December was a few degrees above normal. High temperature records were set in February, March, May, June and October for the Yakima area and July just missed the record set in 2014.

“The consistency of the abnormal warmth throughout the year was remarkable,” WSU meteorologist Nic Loyd said in a news release.

It’s just getting started, but so far temperatures have been much closer to normal in Yakima for 2016 – 28.8 degrees on average, compared to the normal of 29.1.