Mongabay: 2012 was the warmest year on record for the contiguous U.S. according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
In a report posted on its web site, NOAA said the average temperature for 2012 was 55.3°F, or 3.2°F above the 20th century average and 1.0°F above 1998, the previous warmest year on record. The agency added that 2012 was the second "second extreme weather" year on record based in on its Climate Extremes Index which evaluates extremes in temperature and precipitation...