Let's take a look:
Normally when Fall and Winter roll around, folks in much of the nation find themselves donning sweaters and eventually heavy coast and gloves. Not so much last year. According to NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2012 was the warmest year on record in the contiguous United States.
The average temperature last year was 55.3 degrees. That's 3.2 degrees higher than normal. All 48 states had above average temperatures last year.
So much for the warm. Now to the whacky. Scientists say it was a record year for extreme weather too. There were 11 disasters that surpassed 1-billion-dollars in losses. They include Super Storm Sandy, Hurricane Isaac and tornadoes across much of the country.
The record heat can be attributed, according to scientists, to a long term warming trend, the drought, and a northerly jet stream. The long term warming trend is explained as a new record for warm temperatures each year since 2001 and 2012 will be no different.
Conclusion: Fact
By the way, I invite you to do what I do every day and that's check out Brian Mudd's Cheat Sheet because it's loaded with great information you can use. Just go here:
