So far this year, overall temperatures in the contiguous U.S. have been the warmest recorded.

WSJ: July Marked Hottest Month on U.S. Record

July tends to be the hottest month of the year in the contiguous U.S., beating out August.

WSJ: July Marked Hottest Month on U.S. Record

Government data show December and January were the warmest such months in the contiguous U.S. since 2006, creating the most inviting climate for home improvement since the onset of the recession.

WSJ: Mild Winter Could Help Home Depot Earnings

The research looked specifically at production farms using open, outdoor fresh water ponds applying current technology, and considered such factors as suitable land use, topographical features, weather patterns and sky conditions available in the contiguous U.S. states.

FORBES: By Benghazi Illogic, Try This Absurd Headline: "CIA Finds Hurricane Sandy Caused By Obscure Anti-Gore Video"

It's Syrian territory that's contiguous to Lebanon.

NPR: Defining Syria's Role in Mideast Peace

Google also recently rolled out New York City's biggest contiguous free public Wi-Fi in the Chelsea neighborhood, where the company has a campus.

NPR: Calif. City Gets Free Wi-Fi Via High Tech Meters

Rene Barendse's study of European traders in the western Indian Ocean and contiguous lands in the 17th century shows how detailed evidence helps.

ECONOMIST: Historical geography

It led the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday to designate four Louisiana parishes and seven contiguous parishes as natural disaster areas.

CNN: Salt creeping up the Mississippi River

The agency's report, issued in March, found that a relative dearth of snow throughout the contiguous United States contributed to snow cover levels in North America being the fourth lowest since such records were first kept.

CNN: Anchorage breaks seasonal snowfall record