By Rod Hill on 2013-01-09
Let's not worry about the debate of man made or natural and just focus on the fact our planet is in a warm cycle. Temperature data for the United States shows a mean temperature for 2012 of 55.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature is a new record for a data set that begins in the 1800s. The record is more than three degrees above normal and a full degree warmer than the old record of 1998. I likely do not have to tell you that Portland bucked the trend with temperatures last year near normal. However, 19 states did set all-time heat records for the year. Last July, was the warmest on record for our country. Last summer was the 2nd hottest on record. Extreme warm temperatures far out-paced record lows.
The headline of the warm year is the severe drought gripping the nation's heartland. Making the drought more harsh was the nearly one-third of the country that coped with at least 10 days of 100 degree or hotter temperatures during the year. 2012 was the 15th driest year on record. So far this winter, much of the upper midwest snow pack is well below normal. If the trend of little snow and below normal spring and summer rain continues, vital waterways such as the Mississippi river may not be able to support river commerce. Watch for the drought to be a huge story this coming summer if mother nature does not deliver much needed precipitation.
More information is available at: www.noaa.gov
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