It's a rule: During cold snaps, the contiguous US is only 1.5 percent of the Earth's surface, and short time periods are meaningless. During warm spells, both US-only data and short time periods *are* meaningful

Warmest U.S. spring on record: NOAA - Yahoo! News

"The Midwest and the upper Midwest were the epicenters for this vast warmth," Deke Arndt of NOAA's Climatic Data Center said in an online video. That meant farming started earlier in the year, and so did pests and weeds, bringing higher costs earlier in the growing season, Arndt said.

"This warmth is an example of what we would expect to see more often in a warming world," Arndt said.

Flashback: NASA Climatologist Gavin Schmidt Discusses the Surface Temperature Record : News

NASA: Many have noted that the winter has been particularly cold and snowy in some parts of the United States and elsewhere. Does this mean that climate change isn't happening?

Gavin Schmidt: No, it doesn't, though you can't dismiss people's concerns and questions about the fact that local temperatures have been cool. Just remember that there's always going to be variability. That's weather. As a result, some areas will still have occasionally cool temperatures -- even record-breaking cool -- as average temperatures are expected to continue to rise globally.

NASA: So what's happening in the United States may be quite different than what's happening in other areas of the world?

Gavin Schmidt: Yes, especially for short time periods. Keep in mind that that the contiguous United States represents just 1.5 percent of Earth's surface.

As Chris Horner says "US is meaningful, or it isn't. Not US is meaningful if it cooperates."