From the NOAA National Climatic Data Center’s State of the Climate for 2012:
2012 marked the warmest year on record for the contiguous United States with the year consisting of a record warm spring, second warmest summer, fourth warmest winter and a warmer-than-average autumn. The average temperature for 2012 was 55.3°F, 3.2°F above the 20th century average, and 1.0°F above 1998, the previous warmest year.
Other notable facts about 2012 in the United States:
- Every state had annual temperatures which were above average
- Nineteen states had record warm annual temperatures
- Twenty-six states experienced annual temperatures that were in their top ten warmest
- 15th driest year on record
- Every season had precipitation totals below the 20th century average
- The U.S. Climate Extremes Index indicated that 2012 was the second most extreme year on record
Good thing we didn’t waste time discussing climate change during the Presidential debates.