Thursday, January 24, 2013

2012 Hottest Year on Record for the Contiguous U.S.

It’s official: 2012 was the warmest year on record in the lower 48 states. The country experienced blistering spring and summer heat, widespread drought, and one of the worst storms to strike the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. The year consisted of a record warm spring, second warmest summer, fourth warmest winter and a warmer-than-average autumn. The average temperature in 2012 was 55.3°F, 3.2°F above the 20th century average, and 1.0°F above 1998, the previous warmest year. Read more »