U.S. Climate: Warmest YTD on Record

Drought-related stress affecting 80% of U.S. corn and soybeans, causing crops failure

The January-August 2012 was the warmest first 8 months of any year on record for the contiguous United States. The national temperature of 58.7°F (14.3°C) was 4.0°F above the 20^th century average, and 1.0°F above the previous record warm in 2006, NOAA said.

• Summer 2012 was the 3rd hottest summer on record for the contiguous United States since recordkeeping began 117 years ago. [ 2011 and 1936 had higher summer temperatures for the Lower 48.]

Temperature Anomalies, June – August  2012

Reds show June-August temperatures up to 8° F warmer than average. Blues show temperatures up to 2° F cooler than average—the darker the color, the larger the difference. Source: NOAA climate.gov

• During the period, 33 states had record warm and an additional 12 states experienced top ten warm.
• The average temperature for the Lower 48 between June and August was higher than 74°F (24.3°C), which is more than 2° F above the 20^th century average.
• “The average global temperature across land and oceans during July 2012 was 0.62°C (1.12°F) above the 20^th century average of 15.8°C (60.4°F) and ranked as the fourth warmest July since records began in 1880. The previous three months—April, May, and June—also ranked among the top five warmest for their respective months. July 2012 marks the 36^th consecutive July and 329^th consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20^th century average.” NOAA reported.

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!