2012: Warmth for the Record Books
Warmest Year on Record - New Hampshire
Like much of New England, 2012's most unusual heat occurred in the spring, including a 90-degree reading in Concord on April 16 that came earlier on the calendar than any other 90-degree reading in the city's history. (Photo: Tom Brakefield/Thinkstock)
If you thought 2012 was unusually warm where you live in the U.S., your suspicions have been confirmed.
According to the U.S. "State of the Climate" report released Thursday by NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, 2012 was the warmest year on record in the contiguous U.S. (Lower 48 states), in records dating to 1895.
2012's Standout Warmth
2012's monthly temperature departures from average (red line) compared to previous warmest 5 years (orange lines) and coolest 5 years (blue lines).
The average temperature for the Lower 48 States in 2012 (55.3 deg. F) bested the previous record warm year, 1998, by a full degree Fahrenheit, and was 3.2 degrees F above the long-term average in the 20th century.
Nineteen states had a record warm year in 2012. Click through the slideshow above for the full list of these states. Another 26 states had at least a top 10 warmest year in 2012. Every state in the Lower 48 States had at least above-average warmth in 2012. Only Alaska was cooler than average in 2012.
In all, 2012 consisted of a record warm spring, second warmest summer, fourth warmest winter, and a warmer-than-average autumn. Nearly one-third of the nation's population, an estimated 99.1 million, sweltered through at least 10 days of triple-digit heat in 2012, according to NOAA/NCDC.
October was the only cooler than average month in the Lower 48 states in 2012. March and July were the warmest such months on record, there. Four other months: January (4th warmest), April (3rd warmest), May (2nd warmest) and June (8th warmest) landed in the top 10 warmest respective months.
The persistent pattern responsible for this record-setting year also took a toll on precipitation.
2012's Precipitation: Record-Setting States
For the Lower 48 states as a whole, 2012 was the driest year since 1988, according to NOAA/NCDC.
Nebraska and Wyoming had their driest years on record in 2012. Record dry years were registered at Grand Island, Neb., Scottsbluff, Neb., and Rock Springs, Wyo.
Eight other states from the Ohio Valley to the Rockies chalked up their top 10 driest year in 2012.
A combination of residual drought from 2011, a winter lacking significant snowpack, and a record warm spring allowing trees to green up early laid the foundation for a massive drought in 2012.
The drought expanded rapidly across the Corn Belt in the late spring and early summer months and intensified quickly, significantly reducing crop yields. More than half the country was in drought from June through December, a duration of expansive drought exceeded only by the 1934 Dust Bowl and the epic droughts of the mid-1950s.
In large part due to the widespread drought, 9.2 million acres burned in wildfires in 2012, the third largest area burned in the 13-year period of record. This included the destructive Waldo Canyon fire near Colorado Springs claiming almost 350 homes, as well as the largest wildfire on record in New Mexico, the Whitewater-Baldy Complex fire.
Conversely, parts of the Northeast, Gulf Coast, and Pacific Northwest were wetter than average in 2012. Washington state had its 5th wettest year in 2012.
Mt. Fuji, Japan
The famous Mt. Fuji hasn't erupted since 1707, but in September 2012, a new scientific model showed pressure readings inside the magma chamber were even higher during its last eruption. (DigitalGlobe)