How hot was 2012? Hotter than any year in the record book

Last year – 2012 – was the hottest on record in the United States – a full degree Fahrenheit above the previous record, set in 1998. Read a New York Times article that documents a March heat wave and a drought in the Corn Belt that went along with the record warmth.

The Times wrote:

“Scientists said that natural variability almost certainly played a role in last year’s extreme heat and drought. But many of them expressed doubt that such a striking new record would have been set without the backdrop of global warming caused by the human release of greenhouse gases. And they warned that 2012 was probably a foretaste of things to come, as continuing warming makes heat extremes more likely.”

And Australia is going through searing spell of heat, drought and wildfires right now. Read a good Times article on that.