NOAA: 2012 was warmest year ever for US, second most 'extreme'

                Last year (2012) was the warmest year on record in the contiguous United States. The average temperature was 55.3 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 3.2 degrees above normal, and a full degree higher than the previous warmest year (1998). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that all 48 states in the contiguous U.S had an above average annual temperature last year, Including 19 that broke annual records, from Connecticut through Utah.” Along with being the hottest year, 2012 was also a year of “extreme” weather  with 11 disasters that surpassed $1 billion in losses, including hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Isaac, and tornadoes across the Great Plains, Texas, and the Southeast and Ohio Valley, NOAA said 2012 was second in “extreme weather”, with 1998 being first.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/08/16413805-noaa-2012-was-warmest-year-ever-for-us-second-most-extreme?lite