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2012 - Warmest Year?

2012 tdpt map

2012 may become the warmest year on record for several areas.

Will 2012 go into the record books as the warmest year on record? When comparing the first 11 months of the year (Jan. - Nov.), 2012 was the warmest since 1895 for the continental U.S., the Northeast, and 8 of the 12 states covered by the NRCC. The contiguous U.S.’s average temperature of 57.1° was 3.3° above normal. According to the National Climatic Data Center, the average temperature for the continental U.S. for December 2012 would need to be at least 8.5° below average not take the title of warmest year away from 1998. For several cities in the Northeast, December is continuing to uphold 2012 as the warmest year. As of December 20th, Burlington, VT, was reporting an average temperature of 50.8°. The city’s record warmest year was 1998 when it was 48.4°. Portland, ME, was reporting an average temperature of 49.9° for 2012. Their yearly record stands at 49.6° set in 1878. Are these cities an indication of how the contiguous U.S.’s December will end up? We’ll update you in 2013.