On the weather forecasts they always talk about the normal temps for this time of year. Where do they get their "normal temperatures" from? Does anyone else think the weather forecaster's idea of normal temperatures is outdated?

As year after year has passed I've noticed how much later and later it's been before a hard freeze hits and how much milder our winters have become, the last time we had a significant snow/ice event I think was in '93. And trees are no longer ending their autumn color show till December.

It seems that it's rarer that we truly do have a mild spring, a time when we don't see 80+ temps before May/June. The last time I remember a chilly spring was in the 1980's when a major volcano erupted & it affected weather on a global basis, causing substantially cooler weather, it was almost July before temps got in the 80's.

I could easily be mistaken, but am I? Are the above normal temperatures becoming the norm?