http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2010

Flowers are sprouting in January in New Hampshire, the Sierra
Mountains in California are nearly snow-free, and lakes in much of Michigan
still have not frozen. It's 2012, and the new year is ringing in another
ridiculously wacky winter for the U.S. In Fargo, North Dakota yesterday, the
mercury soared to 55°F, breaking a 1908 record for warmest January day in
recorded history. More than 99% of North Dakota had no snow on the ground this
morning, and over 95% of the country that normally has snow at this time of year
had below-average snow cover. High temperatures in Nebraska yesterday were in
the 60s, more than 30° above average.

Storm activity has been almost nil over the past week over the entire U.S., with
the jet stream bottled up far to the north in Canada. It has been remarkable to
look at the radar display day after day and see virtually no echoes, and it is
very likely that this has been the driest first week of January in U.S. recorded
history. Portions of northern New England, the Upper Midwest, and the mountains
of the Western U.S. that are normally under a foot of more of snow by now have
no snow, or just a dusting of less than an inch.

Approximately half of the U.S. had temperatures at least 5°F above average
during the month of December, with portions of North Dakota and Minnesota seeing
temperatures 9°F above average. The strangely warm and dry start to winter is
not limited to the U.S--all of continental Europe experienced well above-average
temperatures during December.