(This post revised to show the final report)
Source: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/2012/13
In 2012, the contiguous United States (CONUS) average annual temperature of 55.3°F was 3.3°F above the 20th century average, and was the warmest year in the 1895-2012 period of record for the nation. The 2012 annual temperature was 1.0°F warmer than the previous record warm year of 1998. Since 1895, the CONUS has observed a long-term temperature increase of about 0.13°F per decade. Precipitation averaged across the CONUS in 2012 was 26.57 inches, which is 2.57 inches below the 20th century average. Precipitation totals in 2012 ranked as the 15th driest year on record. Over the 118-year period of record, precipitation across the CONUS has increased at a rate of about 0.16 inch per decade.
On a statewide and seasonal level, 2012 was a year of both temperature and precipitation extremes for the United States. Each state in the CONUS had annual temperatures which were above average. Nineteen states, stretching from Utah to Massachusetts, had annual temperatures which were record warm. An additional 26 states had one of their 10 warmest years. Only Georgia (11th warmest year), Oregon (12th warmest), and Washington (30th warmest) had annual temperatures that were not among the ten warmest in their respective period of records. A list of the annual temperatures for each of the lower-48 states is available here. Numerous cities and towns were also record warm during 2012 and a select list of those locations is available here. Each state in the CONUS, except Washington, had at least one location experience its warmest year on record. One notable warmest year record occurred in Central Park, in New York City, which has a period of record dating back 136 years.
Much of the CONUS was drier than average for the year. Below-average precipitation totals stretched from the Intermountain West, through the Great Plains, into the Midwest and Southeast. Nebraska and Wyoming were both record dry in 2012. Nebraska’s annual precipitation total of 13.04 inches was 9.78 inches below average, and Wyoming’s annual precipitation total of 8.08 inches was 5.09 inches below average. New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Georgia, and Delaware had a top ten dry year. The large area of dry conditions in 2012 resulted in a very large footprint of drought conditions, which peaked in July with about 61 percent of the CONUS in moderate-to-exceptional drought, according to the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). The footprint of drought during 2012 roughly equaled the drought of the 1950s which peaked at approximately 60 percent. Wetter-than-average conditions were present for the Northwest, where Washington had its fifth wettest year on record. Washington’s statewide precipitation total of 47.24 inches was 10.40 inches above average. Wetter-than-average conditions were also present across parts of the Gulf Coast and Northeast.
Seasonal highlights in 2012 include the fourth warmest winter (December 2011-February 2012), with warmer-than-average conditions across a large portion of the country. The largest temperature departures from average were across the Northern Plains, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast. Winter was drier than average for the East and West coasts, while the Southern Plains were wetter than average improving drought conditions across New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. The warmer and drier than average conditions resulted in the third smallest winter snow cover extent on record for the contiguous United States. Spring (March-May) was record warm for the country, with 34 states being record warm for the period. The season consisted of the warmest March, fourth warmest April, and second warmest May on record. Spring precipitation was near-average for the lower-48, with the Pacific Northwest and Upper Midwest being wetter than average, while the Central Rockies and Ohio Valley were drier than average. The summer (June-August) continued the warmer-than-average trend for the contiguous U.S. with national temperatures ranking as the second warmest on record. The summer average temperature for 2012 was very close to the warmest summer (2011) and the third warmest summer (1936), with only 0.1°F separating the three. The summer season consisted of the eighth warmest June, record warmest July, and 13th warmest August. Drier-than-average conditions were anchored in the central U.S. with record breaking wildfires and a drought footprint comparable to the drought episodes of the 1950s causing large-scale agriculture problems in the Midwest, Plains, and Mountain West. Autumn (September-November) temperatures were closer to average compared to the preceding three seasons, but still ranked as the 22nd warmest autumn on record. Warmer-than-average conditions were present for the West, while cooler-than-average conditions were present for the Eastern Seaboard. Precipitation totals for the nation averaged as the 22nd driest autumn on record.
This annual report places the temperature and precipitation averages into historical perspective, while summarizing the notable events that occurred in 2012. More detailed analysis on individual months can be found through the Climate Monitoring home page.
Top Ten U.S. Weather/Climate Events for 2012
| Rank | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hurricane/Post-Tropical Storm Sandy |
| 2 | Contiguous U.S. Drought |
| 3 | Contiguous U.S. Warmest Year on Record |
| 4 | Record Wildfire Activity |
| 5 | Multi-State Derecho |
| 6 | March 2nd-3rd Severe Weather Outbreak |
| 7 | Alaska Cold Winter/Snow Records |
| 8 | Near-Record Low Great Lakes Levels |
| 9 | Contiguous U.S. Snow Cover |
| 10 | Hurricane Isaac |
The National report is here, they did in fact mention the national value for CONUS Tavg despite my earlier speculation from a preliminary email report
Climate Highlights — December
- The average contiguous U.S. temperature for December was 36.4°F, 3.4°F above the 20th century long-term average, and the 10th warmest December on record.
- Warmer-than-average conditions were present for much of the U.S. east of the Rockies. Twenty states had monthly temperatures that ranked among the ten warmest on record. Near-average conditions were present for the Northern Plains and much of the West. The Pacific Northwest was slightly warmer than average.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/2012/12
OF NOTE, they have added this disclaimer:
PLEASE NOTE: All of the temperature and precipitation ranks and values are based on preliminary data. The ranks will change when the final data are processed, but will not be replaced on these pages. Graphics based on final data are provided on the Temperature and Precipitation Maps page and the Climate at a Glance page as they become available.
Is there a global number to pair this with? I looked at the reference page and since I am just a casual observer nothing jumped out at me. Thanks!
Well on my way in here to WUWT I got a AP NEWS story from Seth Boringstein saying 2012 was hottest year on record in a landslide, and Kevin Trenworth chimed in with his these sorts of records don’t happen without climate change, or words to that effect.
sorry about the typos up ther
Is NOAA Misleading the Public by Including Tropical Cyclones in its 2012 Climate Extremes Index Ranking?
http://bobtisdale.wordpress.com/2013/01/08/is-noaa-misleading-the-public-by-including-tropical-cyclones-in-its-2012-climate-extremes-index-ranking/
If not, the press and public will certainly get the wrong idea.
AKA Kevin Trenberth.
“These records do not occur like this in an unchanging climate,” said Kevin Trenberth, head of climate analysis at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. “And they are costing many billions of dollars.”
Someone should formally ask them this question. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t on the agenda until this century.
Someone should also ask who made the suggestion that it be added, and what considerations went into making that decision.
I got my question answered on a global number. It looks like the full year is not in yet. But I am learning. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/2012/11 Eighth warmest globaly at least for the 11 months ended November. I don’t think I will be losing sleep. Thanks for the great blog Anthony! I learn something every day.
“In 2012, the contiguous United States (CONUS) average annual temperature of 55.3°F was 3.3°F above the 20th century average”
is meaningless or worse if there is a trend (such as slow warming from LIA) or a significant cyclic factor that is not equalized across the century (.e.g. if cycle length 60 years there is up to a 20 year mismatch to 100 years).
pat says:
“in australia, bushfires are being exploited to the CAGW hilt”
Far worse bushfires than the recent ones are part of the very culture of Australia.
Anyone with even one functioning brain cell will not the fooled.
Not sure about the CAGW apologists, though,
They are non-thinking, brain-washed bunch of zombies.
*Near-Record Low Great Lakes Levels”
Back in Israel, water authority spokesman Schor said that the huge quantities of rain come after seven years of drought in Israel. In the book of Genesis in the Bible, he said, seven plentiful years were followed by seven lean years and starvation.
“Let’s hope we now have the seven good years,” he said.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/01/08/massive-storm-pummelling-middle-east-good-news-for-israeli-water-system-not-so-much-for-syrian-refugees/
Warmest in 15 Bazillion Years, Venus here we come. I’ll tell you what is warm. What is warm is being too close to books that are being cooked. Meanwhile in other news, lowest oil imports into the US in many years, and at the personal level my CO2 footprint is at an all time low as I scrimp and save to avoid eating cat food, cat food, cat food, again when I get old.
Well that is after they adjust current temperatures up 2 degrees.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/ushcn/rawurban3.5_pg.gif
Anyone have the US Conus Monthly temperature data from earlier this year saved.
I download it every few months and, as of August 2012, the average US Conus temperature for 1901 to 2000 was 52.78F, making this year’s 55.3F only 2.5F higher than average.
Just asking if anyone has saved it because it appears to have changed considerably to me as in this.
http://s9.postimage.org/juyx0pjzz/NCDC_Changes_in_US_Conus_Augto_Dec2012.png
I get the data from here which provides all the precip, temp, drought index, etc. data for the US lower 48 states.
http://www7.ncdc.noaa.gov/CDO/CDODivisionalSelect.jsp
Naturall, the NCDC doesn’t have archives that one can check by. I’ve found a few older datasets that show the same thing but I’m looking for confirmation. Because this is a ridiculous change that is not outlined anywhere
“Since 1895, the CONUS has observed a long-term temperature increase of about 0.13°F per decade.”
========================
I see, so the contiguous US of A has has heated up at twice the rate of the rest of the world. How realistic is that? Must be all those huge gas guzzling pollution spouting SUV’s you guys insist upon driving. 🙂
I don’t think I have ever seen such a collection of meaningless “statistics” gathered together in one place before. Just a casual overview gave my test engineering trained brain a head ache. If I had ever presented anything half as hoky as this, I would have been escorted out of the factory quicker the I could say SPC.
The Great Arctic Cyclone of 2012 was a significant weather event resulting in extraordinary ice loss. Mention of the event would be counterproductive to the cause.
After my local news reported this to me and my fellow British Columbia citizens they added “climate scientists say that this proves climate change is real”.
Of course we all know that you need 30 years of changed weather before you can make such a claim. These news organizations are causing harm to me and me fellow citizens.
So they list their Annual Average, and the amount the temp was above or below the 20th century average.
Since the 20th century ended in 2000, then 2001 becomes the first year of the 21st century, right?
In the 2001 annual report, they list the long-term average as 52.8F (and the yearly avg as 54.3).
“…The contiguous United States was much warmer than average in 2001. The preliminary 2001 average annual temperature was 54.3° F (12.4° C), which was 1.5° F (0.8° C) above the 1895-2001 mean…” (54.3-1.5=52.8)
All well and good. But 1895-2001 isn’t the 20th century ave.
They didn’t (as far as I can see), put out annual reports for 2002-2005. But the long term avg (the “20th century average”) shouldn’t have changed, right?
Somewhere along the way, it did.
“…In 2012, the contiguous United States (CONUS) average annual temperature of 55.3°F was 3.3°F above the 20th century average…”
That makes the “new” 20th century average 52.0 degrees (55.3-3.3=52). So appears they’re showing a .8 degree DROP in the 20th century average, based on their posting from 2001. No wonder we’re showing a rise in the current anomalies.
How is it possible that the 20th century average can change so much (especially 11 years or so after the century ended)?
BTW, in the 1998 report, they gave a quick breakdown of how they get THEIR results:
“…The national temperature index expresses temperature departure from the 60-year mean in terms of standard deviations. Each year’s value is computed by standardizing the temperature for each of 344 climate divisions in the U.S. by using their 1931-90 mean and standard deviation, then weighting these divisional values by area. These area-weighted values are then normalized over the period of record. Positive values are warmer and negative values are cooler than the mean. The national standardized temperature index ranked 1998 as the second warmest year on record…”
All that information certainly ties in well with a La Niña event.
Oh no, temperature data shows record highs. But we know that the earth can’t warm because that would mean questioning the global order built on ever-growing resource extraction and consumption leading to global environmental change, so we must conclude that reality itself is wrong.
Wait a darn minute.
I thought after the dust settled 1939 was still the warmest year.
WTF, Over?
@george e. smith
>“These records do not occur like this in an unchanging climate,” said Kevin Trenberth, head of climate analysis at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. “And they are costing many billions of dollars.”
Not as many billions as trading carbon certificates on all the energy in the world. Not by a long shot.
As other posters have pointed out the CONUS is only around 2% of the total global area. Local weather variation has more influence than any climate trend.
Most of the energy in the climate system is in water which with its high thermal capacity and large energy changes with phase changes from solid/liquid/vapor forms is the key dominant component.
The obvious macro scale measures of the energy in the climate system are sea level, ocean heat content, land ice mass balance and atmospheric moisture content.
They reveal how much energy is increasing in the system from the shift from ice to vapor and thermal expansion of the liquid phase.
the implication of the changes seen in these values is obvious.
The confirmation from the NCDC that the CRN shows 2012 was the warmest measured year (including 1939) by 1degF is just the result of the macro scale influence of the oceanic and atmospheric parameter trends.
Am I the only person here apart from george e. smith who is just a little worried by the NOAA report? By the Australian heatwave and bush fires? Am I the only true skeptic present, always prepared to change my mind or refine my theories whenever new data comes in? Why do so many commenters here agree that a temperature optimum is better than a Little Ice Age, but they rubbish any confirmation that warming has occurred? Aren’t you guys being just a tiny bit inconsistent?
Unfortunately I won’t be around to see if Clive Best is right and after the current 60-year cycle bottoms out, rapid warming will resume from 2020 onward. Personally I don’t believe in any cycle where the underlying mechanism is unknown and “statistical artefact” is the most likely explanation.
(At least this comment won’t be moderated out of existence, the way it would happen if I posted a contrary view at SkepSci.)
OldFossil: Based on your name I’m going to guess you’ve got a few decades on me, I’m still in my 20’s and I’ve changed my mind of what is going on with global warming more times than I can count and I’ve only really been culturally aware of the debate for a few years. It’s the Feynman quote about observations matching theory (I’m a pop science fan, so people like Bad Astronomer and Neil De grasse Tyson, Brian Cox etc are regular listens/watches for me and they quote Feynman all the time) that means I settled on some serious doubts about what the IPCC and certain science communicators are telling me is accurate.
However, Heat waves happen all the time, droughts happen all the time, wild fires happen all the time. And there will be regional variation to that effect. There is no evidence that this is happening more or more intensely around the world though. This year included. It doesn’t matter how many times they book end these stories with “but man made global warming still….”, it doesn’t change the weight of the data.
With regards to being worried by it i’d suggest it’s like crime statistics in the UK (only using this example as a UK’er so I know it), statistically crime has been decreasing for years. However, it’s being reported more in the media which leads to a public perception that it is increasing
Heat waves are just weather, the heat wave in the US was caused by a blocking effect.The same thing that caused that Russian heat wave a few years ago, which was initially claimed to be caused by global warming but was later corrected to be nothing more than simple weather.