Winter of '12 was 4th mildest on record

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - It was a warm day Thursday after what has been a very mild winter overall.

It sure felt warm, with temperatures making it up into the upper 60’s to near 70 degrees. We even broke the record for March 8, which was 64 degrees, set back in 1987.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says this winter was the fourth warmest on record , running almost four degrees above average. This winter was also drier than average, and we had the third-smallest snowcover on record.

People 22News talked to didn't seem to mind having a milder-than-normal winter.

"It was pretty warm, that's for sure,” said Katherine Allan of Springfield. “It was good for the heating oil and it's strange, because last winter it was so bad."

"I'll take it while it lasts. We had a rough one last year, so I think we deserved a break this year,” Cheryl Felsentreger of Holyoke said.

The mild winter will soon give way to the beginning of spring, which officially starts on Tuesday, March 20 at 1:14 A.M.