Climate Change Made 2012 the Hottest Year in Continental United States Since 1895, NOAA Reports. The NOAA’s US Climate Extremes Index also reported that the occurrence in 2012 of “extreme” weather events, “such as record or near-record warmth, dry spells, or rainy periods,” increased by 19% over the historical average. 2012 was the second most extreme year on record since 1910, and saw 11 disasters that reached the $1 billion threshold in damages.
2012 the hottest year in the U.S since official record-keeping began
in 1895, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in a press release on Jan. 8, 2013. The average temperature for 2012 was 55.3 degrees Fahrenheit, 3.3 degrees above the 20th century average, and one degree higher than the previous warmest year recorded in 1998.
All 48 states in the contiguous United States had above-average annual temperatures last year, including 19 that broke annual records and an additional 26 that had one of their 10 warmest years. Only Georgia (11th warmest), Oregon (12th warmest), and Washington (30th warmest) had annual temperatures that did not fall in their top tens.
2012’s record warmth is “clearly symptomatic of a changing climate,” said Thomas Karl, Director of NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center. “That doesn’t mean every season and every year is going to be breaking all-time records, but you’re going to see this with increasing frequency.”
Climate Change Made 2012 the Hottest Year in Continental United States Since 1895
Source: procon.org
