The final chapter of winter has been written and it's the story of a season that didn't live up to its name.

This winter was the warmest on record for the Lower 48, NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information said Friday. Records date to the late 1800s.

The record warmth has left vast areas of the country without typical amounts of snow and ice, fueling a worsening drought in the Midwest and disrupting local economies.

It's another clear signal that global temperatures are on the rise due to human-caused planet-warming emissions. Five of the 10 warmest winters on record in the US have occurred in the last 20 years as winter has become the fastest-warming season for nearly 75% of the country.

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