The year 2012 continues on a record warm pace, according to a report released July 9.
In the June “State of the Climate” report, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found the first half of 2012 was the record warmest January-June period for the Lower 48 States, in records dating to 1895.
In all, a total of 28 states, all east of the Rocky Mountains, had a record warm first six months of the year. Another 15 states had their top 10 warmest January-June. Only Washington state recorded a cooler-than-average first half of 2012.
Graph of January-June mean temperatures over the Lower 48 States from 1895 (left) to 2012 (right). The long-term average is shown by the horizontal gray line. The long-term temperature trend is indicated by the red line. Credit: NCDC/NESDIS/NOAA
The month of June, however, was only the 14th warmest on record for the Lower 48 States in 118 years of records.
Despite this, Colorado recorded its record hottest June. Potential all-time state records in South Carolina (113) and Georgia (112) are currently under review by the U.S. State Climate Extremes Committee. Over 170 all-time record highs were either tied or broken in June. However, it’s important to note many of those locations had relatively short periods of record not dating back at least to the “Dust Bowl” of the 1930s.
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