Michael Rawlins News Today

Temperatures over the past couple of days felt more like mid-July than the end of spring.

Many people appear in court every day

These warmer temperatures aren't usually seen until early June.

As the climate warms, southern New England is losing its snow days.

Massachusetts experienced its warmest year on record last year, tied with 2012, with temperatures averaging 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit above normal.

Massachusetts recorded its warmest year, based on data going back to 1895, while Berkshire County had its second warmest year.

As we prepare for a new year, here’s a look back at the year that was, told through the harshest weather events that tested even the heartiest New Englanders among us.

The latest proof of warming winters comes in an update this week of the US Department of Agriculture’s plant hardiness map — a guide for would-be planters wondering how much cold their plants need to withstand.

Record rain hammered New England in September, and the 22News Storm Team is Working for You with an explanation as to why that was. September saw heavy rainfall and floods with impacts from Hurricane Lee and Tropical Storm Ophelia, and just yesterday some cities received as much as four-and-a-half inches of rain.

Climate scientists say the extreme rainfall and flash floods in Leominster are now expected on a warming planet — and there’s much more to come.