Weather Whiplash: U.S. Cold Records Crush Heat Records 6.5 to 1 in April

One year after heat records smashed cold records by a ratio of over 35 to 1, preliminary data from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) show that new daily low temperature records in the U.S. outnumbered high temperature records by 6.5 to 1 in April. This was the largest monthly excess of cold records so far this decade. It was also the first time since at least February 2010 that more than 2 consecutive months have had more cold records than heat records.

For the spring season to date (March-April), cold records have exceeded heat records by a ratio of 4 to 1, and for 2013 to date, the ratio is 1.6 to 1. On the other hand, for the 12 consecutive months ending in April, heat records continue to outpace cold records by a ratio of 1.8 to 1. Cumulatively, the ratio of heat records to cold records is 2.8 to 1 since January 2010, well above the roughly 2 to 1 in previous decades. As the chart shows, the 2600 cold records in April barely made a dent in the cumulative excess of 36000 heat records since the beginning of the decade.

Preliminary data from NOAA/ESRL show that the coldest temperatures relative to average were in the North Central portion of the U.S. in April. The Pacific Coast states, however, were warmer than average, and near to above average temperatures prevailed over most of the eastern third of the country.

U.S. Record Warmest Year Confirmed by Unprecedented Margin

Midnight Update: The standard deviation of the U.S. annual average temperatures is 0.92, so the new record exceeds the old one by over 1 standard deviation. It's also more than 3.4 standard deviations from the average. According to a public domain table of the normal distribution, the odds of this are 0.0003369. If the distribution were truly random (hint, it ain't), this would be a once in 2968 year event.

Original Post:
The National Climatic Data Center's preliminary report, released within the last hour, confirms that 2012 was the record warmest year for the U.S. by an incredible margin of 1.0°F. All 48 contiguous states were warmer than average for the year, 19 had record warm years, and 26 more had top 10 warmest years. At least 356 individual locations tied or broke their all-time record high temperatures. This included at least one location in every state except Washington.

The NCDC chart of year-to-date temperatures (click to enlarge) to the right shows that the extremely warm January and March put 2012 firmly in first place for warmest year and the wide margin was maintained through December.

The chart of warmest 12-month periods shows that 10 of the top 12 ended in 2012.

From the NCDC report:

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.

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.

The preliminary list of individual all-time records from NCDC:

Date     Location                           Record  Previous/date
25-May   CHILLY BARTON FLAT, ID             100°F   100°F (Jul 24, 2007)
23-Jun   LAMAR MUNI AP, CO                  110°F   109°F (Aug 1, 2008)
23-Jun   COLORADO SPGS MUNI AP, CO          100°F   100°F (Jul 24, 2003)
23-Jun   DENVER CENTENNIAL AP, CO           100°F   100°F (Aug 1, 2008)
23-Jun   RUXTON PARK, CO                    87°F    86°F (Oct 1, 2006)
24-Jun   TRIBUNE 1W, KS                     109°F   108°F (Jul 15, 2000)
24-Jun   HARRISBURG 12WNW, NE               105°F   105°F (Jul 16, 2006)
24-Jun   JUNEAU DWTN, AK                    87°F    87°F (Jun 21, 1991)
25-Jun   NORTON DAM, KS                     113°F   111°F (Jul 7, 1991)
25-Jun   COLBY 1SW, KS                      112°F   110°F (Jun 25, 1971)
25-Jun   TRIBUNE 1W, KS                     111°F   109°F (1 day prior)
25-Jun   OAKLEY 4W, KS                      111°F   111°F (Jul 11, 1954)
25-Jun   SIDNEY MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, NE       109°F   107°F (Jul 16, 2006)
25-Jun   DENVER INTL AP, CO                 105°F   105°F (Jul 20, 2005)
25-Jun   KARVAL, CO                         103°F   103°F (Jul 24, 2005)
25-Jun   DENVER CENTENNIAL AP, CO           100°F   100°F (2 days prior)
26-Jun   MC COOK, NE                        115°F   114°F (Jul 20, 1932)
26-Jun   LAMAR MUNI AP, CO                  111°F   110°F (2 days prior)
26-Jun   SIDNEY MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, NE       111°F   109°F (1 day prior)
26-Jun   CEDAR BLUFF DAM, KS                110°F   110°F (Jul 15, 2003)
26-Jun   DODGE CITY RGNL AP, KS             110°F   110°F (Jun 26, 2011)
26-Jun   JUNCTION FAA AP, TX                108°F   108°F (Aug 28, 2011)
26-Jun   DENVER INTL AP, CO                 105°F   105°F (1 day prior)
26-Jun   WHEAT RIDGE 2, CO                  103°F   103°F (Jul 1, 1990)
26-Jun   COLORADO SPGS MUNI AP, CO          101°F   100°F (2 days prior)
26-Jun   EVERGREEN, CO                      97°F    96°F (Jul 9, 2003)
27-Jun   BENKELMAN, NE                      114°F   114°F (Jul 11, 1954)
27-Jun   LAMAR MUNI AP, CO                  112°F   111°F (1 day prior)
27-Jun   BREWSTER 4W, KS                    112°F   112°F (Jul 21, 2005)
27-Jun   SMITH CTR, KS                      112°F   112°F (Jul 5, 1964)
27-Jun   DODGE CITY RGNL AP, KS             111°F   110°F (1 day prior)
27-Jun   YUMA, CO                           111°F   109°F (Aug 3, 2008)
27-Jun   LAMAR, CO                          111°F   111°F (Jul 14, 1934)
27-Jun   TRENTON DAM, NE                    111°F   111°F (Aug 4, 1954)
27-Jun   TRIBUNE 1W, KS                     111°F   111°F (2 days prior)
27-Jun   HOLYOKE, CO                        110°F   110°F (Jul 11, 1954)
27-Jun   SEDGWICK 5 S, CO                   110°F   110°F (Jul 16, 2006)
27-Jun   GARDEN CITY EXP STA, KS            109°F   109°F (Jun 30, 2011)
27-Jun   EDGEMONT, SD                       108°F   107°F (Jul 16, 2006)
27-Jun   AKRON 4 E, CO                      107°F   107°F (Jul 9, 1989)
27-Jun   PUEBLO RSVR, CO                    107°F   107°F (Jul 21, 2005)
27-Jun   HARRISBURG 12WNW, NE               105°F   105°F (3 days prior)
27-Jun   KARVAL, CO                         104°F   103°F (2 days prior)
28-Jun   NORTON DAM, KS                     118°F   113°F (3 days prior)
28-Jun   COLBY 1SW, KS                      113°F   112°F (3 days prior)
28-Jun   SMITH CTR, KS                      113°F   112°F (1 day prior)
28-Jun   GARDEN CITY EXP STA, KS            112°F   109°F (1 day prior)
28-Jun   WALLACE, KS                        112°F   112°F (Jul 20, 1917)
28-Jun   JOHN MARTIN DAM, CO                111°F   111°F (Aug 4, 2008)
28-Jun   LAMAR, CO                          111°F   111°F (1 day prior)
28-Jun   OAKLEY 4W, KS                      111°F   111°F (3 days prior)
28-Jun   TRIBUNE 1W, KS                     111°F   111°F (1 day prior)
28-Jun   LA JUNTA 20 S, CO                  109°F   109°F (Jun 27, 1994)
28-Jun   CAHOKIA ST LOUIS AP, IL            107°F   106°F (Sep 5, 1990)
28-Jun   EVANSVILLE REGIONAL AP, IN         107°F   105°F (Jul 14, 1954)
28-Jun   CARBONDALE SOUTHERN IL AP, IL      106°F   105°F (Jul 22, 1983)
28-Jun   MUNCIE BALL STATE UNIV, IN         106°F   102°F (Jun 26, 1988)
28-Jun   FORT WAYNE AP, IN                  106°F   106°F (Jun 25, 1988)
28-Jun   RICHMOND WTR WKS, IN               104°F   100°F (Sep 3, 2011)
28-Jun   INDIANAPOLIS INTL AP, IN           104°F   104°F (Jul 14, 1954)
28-Jun   BLOOMINGTON MONROE CO AP, IN       103°F   102°F (Jul 31, 1999)
28-Jun   DAYTON WSO AP, OH                  102°F   102°F (Aug 17, 1988)
28-Jun   PONTIAC OAKLAND CO INTL AP, MI     99°F    98°F (Jul 21, 2011)
29-Jun   COLUMBIA UNIV OF SC, SC            113°F   109°F (Aug 11, 2007)
29-Jun   FESTUS, MO                         111°F   110°F (Jul 16, 1980)
29-Jun   RICHFIELD, KS                      111°F   111°F (Jun 27, 2011)
29-Jun   PERRYVILLE WTP, MO                 110°F   109°F (Aug 3, 1964)
29-Jun   CEDAR BLUFF DAM, KS                110°F   110°F (3 days prior)
29-Jun   ATHENS BEN EPPS AP, GA             109°F   107°F (Aug 21, 1983)
29-Jun   COLUMBIA METRO AP, SC              109°F   107°F (Aug 10, 2007)
29-Jun   NASHVILLE ASOS, TN                 109°F   107°F (Jul 28, 1952)
29-Jun   DORA 1N, MO                        109°F   109°F (Jul 6, 1966)
29-Jun   KASKASKIA RVR NAV LOCK, IL         109°F   109°F (Aug 17, 1988)
29-Jun   PADUCAH BARKLEY AP, KY             108°F   106°F (Jul 28, 1952)
29-Jun   TERRE HAUTE INDIANA ST, IN         108°F   104°F (Sep 6, 1954)
29-Jun   CAPE GIRARDEAU FAA AP, MO          107°F   105°F (Jul 15, 1980)
29-Jun   CARBONDALE SOUTHERN IL AP, IL      107°F   106°F (1 day prior)
29-Jun   FAYETTEVILLE WTP, TN               107°F   105°F (Aug 23, 2007)
29-Jun   NEW CASTLE 3 SW, IN                107°F   103°F (Jun 26, 1988)
29-Jun   PROVIDENCE, KY                     107°F   106°F (Aug 17, 2007)
29-Jun   VINCENNES 5 NE, IN                 107°F   104°F (Jun 26, 1988)
29-Jun   BANKHEAD LOCK & DAM, AL            107°F   107°F (Jul 8, 1977)
29-Jun   EVANSVILLE REGIONAL AP, IN         107°F   107°F (1 day prior)
29-Jun   MUSCLE SHOALS AP, AL               107°F   107°F (Aug 15, 2007)
29-Jun   CHEATHAM   , TN                    106°F   105°F (Aug 23, 1983)
29-Jun   HUNTINGTON, IN                     106°F   105°F (Jun 26, 1988)
29-Jun   HUNTSVILLE INTL AP, AL             106°F   105°F (Aug 16, 2007)
29-Jun   CHATTANOOGA AP, TN                 106°F   106°F (Jul 28, 1952)
29-Jun   COLUMBUS METO AP., GA              105°F   104°F (Aug 10, 2007)
29-Jun   LONDON FAA AP, KY                  105°F   102°F (Aug 16, 2007)
29-Jun   GADSDEN, AL                        105°F   105°F (Aug 16, 1954)
29-Jun   GRNVL SPART INTL AP, SC            105°F   105°F (Aug 10, 2007)
29-Jun   QUANTICO MCAS, VA                  105°F   105°F (Sep 7, 1954)
29-Jun   RALEIGH AP, NC                     105°F   105°F (Aug 21, 2007)
29-Jun   JACKSON WSO, KY                    104°F   101°F (Aug 18, 1988)
29-Jun   CARLYLE RSVR, IL                   104°F   104°F (Aug 16, 2007)
29-Jun   CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS AP, NC           104°F   104°F (Aug 10, 2007)
29-Jun   SPARTA WASTEWATER PLANT, TN        104°F   104°F (Jul 17, 1980)
29-Jun   ATLANTA PEACHTREE AP, GA           103°F   102°F (Aug 22, 2007)
29-Jun   TIPTON 5 SW, IN                    103°F   98°F (Jul 22, 2011)
29-Jun   BLOOMINGTON MONROE CO AP, IN       103°F   103°F (1 day prior)
29-Jun   HUNTINGTON TRI ST AP, WV           103°F   103°F (Aug 16, 2007)
29-Jun   WARSAW, IN                         103°F   103°F (Jul 14, 1976)
29-Jun   CROSSVILLE AP, TN                  102°F   101°F (Jul 16, 1980)
29-Jun   BRISTOL AP, TN                     102°F   102°F (Jul 29, 1952)
29-Jun   PITTSBURGH ALLEGHENY AP, PA        99°F    99°F (Aug 27, 1948)
29-Jun   BLUEFIELD MERCER CO AP, WV         97°F    96°F (Jul 16, 1988)
29-Jun   BECKLEY RALEIGH COUNTY AP, WV      96°F    96°F (Aug 17, 1988)
30-Jun   JOHNSTON 4 SW, SC                  113°F   110°F (Aug 11, 2007)
30-Jun   REIDSVILLE 2 NW, NC                110°F   103°F (Aug 19, 1988)
30-Jun   SIKESTON PWR STN, MO               110°F   107°F (Jul 17, 1980)
30-Jun   WOODBURY 1 WNW, TN                 110°F   109°F (Aug 17, 2007)
30-Jun   KINGSTON SPRINGS, TN               109°F   108°F (Aug 16, 2007)
30-Jun   SANDHILL RSCH ELGIN, SC            109°F   106°F (Aug 8, 2007)
30-Jun   COLUMBIA 3 WNW, TN                 109°F   109°F (Jul 28, 1952)
30-Jun   COLUMBIA METRO AP, SC              109°F   109°F (1 day prior)
30-Jun   SALUDA, SC                         109°F   109°F (Jul 14, 1980)
30-Jun   CHEATHAM   , TN                    108°F   106°F (1 day prior)
30-Jun   SPARTA WASTEWATER PLANT, TN        108°F   104°F (1 day prior)
30-Jun   MACON MIDDLE GA AP, GA             108°F   108°F (Jul 13, 1980)
30-Jun   MAMMOTH CAVE, KY                   108°F   108°F (Jul 27, 1952)
30-Jun   BARREN RIVER LAKE, KY              107°F   106°F (Jul 10, 1988)
30-Jun   CHATTANOOGA AP, TN                 107°F   106°F (1 day prior)
30-Jun   MARTIN U OF T BRANCH E, TN         107°F   106°F (Aug 18, 2007)
30-Jun   ROME WSO AP, GA                    107°F   106°F (Jul 17, 1980)
30-Jun   MUSCLE SHOALS AP, AL               107°F   107°F (1 day prior)
30-Jun   SANDERSVILLE, GA                   107°F   107°F (Jul 22, 1986)
30-Jun   SELMER, TN                         107°F   107°F (Aug 16, 2007)
30-Jun   ATLANTA HARTSFIELD AP, GA          106°F   105°F (Jul 17, 1980)
30-Jun   CELINA, TN                         106°F   105°F (Jul 17, 1980)
30-Jun   COLUMBUS METO AP., GA              106°F   105°F (1 day prior)
30-Jun   PORTLAND SEWAGE PLT, TN            106°F   105°F (Aug 17, 2007)
30-Jun   PULASKI WWTP, TN                   106°F   105°F (Jul 17, 1980)
30-Jun   ROANOKE RAPIDS, NC                 106°F   104°F (Aug 10, 2007)
30-Jun   SMITHLAND   , IL                   106°F   104°F (Aug 17, 2007)
30-Jun   ST LOUIS SCI CTR, MO               106°F   105°F (Jul 30, 1999)
30-Jun   BARBOURVILLE, KY                   106°F   106°F (Sep 5, 1954)
30-Jun   CAIRO 3N, IL                       106°F   106°F (Aug 9, 1930)
30-Jun   FARMVILLE 2 N, VA                  106°F   106°F (Sep 1, 1932)
30-Jun   RUSSELLVILLE NO 2, AL              106°F   106°F (Aug 16, 2007)
30-Jun   SPRINGFIELD EXP STN, TN            106°F   106°F (Aug 17, 2007)
30-Jun   STONY CREEK 2 N, VA                106°F   106°F (Aug 23, 1983)
30-Jun   ATLANTA PEACHTREE AP, GA           105°F   103°F (1 day prior)
30-Jun   KNOXVILLE AP, TN                   105°F   104°F (Jul 12, 1930)
30-Jun   LOGAN, WV                          105°F   104°F (Jul 15, 1954)
30-Jun   MONTICELLO 3 NE, KY                105°F   103°F (Aug 18, 1988)
30-Jun   PHILPOTT DAM 2, VA                 105°F   102°F (Aug 22, 1983)
30-Jun   SMITHVILLE 2 SE, TN                105°F   104°F (Jul 17, 1980)
30-Jun   TAPOCO, NC                         105°F   103°F (Jun 17, 1944)
30-Jun   BROOKPORT DAM 52, IL               105°F   105°F (Jul 30, 1999)
30-Jun   CLEVELAND FLTR PLT, TN             105°F   105°F (Jul 17, 1980)
30-Jun   RALEIGH AP, NC                     105°F   105°F (1 day prior)
30-Jun   AMELIA COURTHOUSE 1, VA            104°F   102°F (Jul 6, 1999)
30-Jun   CARLYLE RSVR, IL                   104°F   104°F (1 day prior)
30-Jun   CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS AP, NC           104°F   104°F (1 day prior)
30-Jun   DALLAS 7 NE, GA                    104°F   104°F (Aug 23, 2007)
30-Jun   DRESDEN, TN                        104°F   104°F (Aug 17, 2007)
30-Jun   WEST PELZER 2 W, SC                104°F   104°F (Jul 21, 1986)
30-Jun   BAXTER, KY                         103°F   101°F (Aug 22, 1983)
30-Jun   BRISTOL AP, TN                     103°F   102°F (1 day prior)
30-Jun   MONTEREY, TN                       103°F   100°F (Jul 29, 1952)
30-Jun   TAZEWELL, TN                       103°F   102°F (Aug 22, 1983)
30-Jun   WATERVILLE 2, NC                   103°F   101°F (Jul 10, 1936)
30-Jun   CAMP PICKETT, VA                   103°F   103°F (Jul 27, 2010)
30-Jun   JAMESTOWN WWTP, KY                 103°F   103°F (Jul 17, 1980)
30-Jun   LEXINGTON BLUEGRASS AP, KY         103°F   103°F (Jul 30, 1999)
30-Jun   HELEN, GA                          102°F   100°F (Jul 20, 1986)
30-Jun   W KERR SCOTT RSVR, NC              102°F   102°F (Aug 19, 1988)
30-Jun   ERWIN 1 W, TN                      101°F   101°F (Aug 21, 1983)
30-Jun   PULASKI 2 E, VA                    99°F    99°F (Jul 18, 1986)
30-Jun   PISGAH FOREST 3 NE, NC             98°F    98°F (Jun 23, 1964)
30-Jun   WYTHEVILLE 1 S, VA                 98°F    98°F (Aug 14, 2010)
30-Jun   BUCKEYE, WV                        97°F    97°F (Jul 23, 2011)
30-Jun   COOPERS ROCK SF, WV                92°F    92°F (Jul 17, 1988)
1-Jul    MILLEDGEVILLE, GA                  110°F   110°F (Aug 20, 1925)
1-Jul    SANTUCK, SC                        110°F   110°F (Sep 4, 1925)
1-Jul    CELINA, TN                         109°F   106°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    SANDERSVILLE, GA                   109°F   107°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    SILOAM 3N, GA                      109°F   107°F (Aug 21, 1983)
1-Jul    SALUDA, SC                         109°F   109°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    BARREN RIVER LAKE, KY              108°F   107°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    ROME WSO AP, GA                    108°F   107°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    CARTERSVILLE, GA                   108°F   108°F (Aug 27, 1954)
1-Jul    MACON MIDDLE GA AP, GA             108°F   108°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    GRNVL SPART INTL AP, SC            107°F   105°F (2 days prior)
1-Jul    CHATTANOOGA AP, TN                 107°F   107°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    LAURINBURG, NC                     107°F   107°F (Aug 9, 2007)
1-Jul    TAPOCO, NC                         106°F   105°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    MC MINNVILLE, TN                   106°F   106°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    ALLATOONA DAM 2, GA                105°F   104°F (Jul 9, 1977)
1-Jul    KNOXVILLE EXP STN, TN              105°F   102°F (Aug 17, 2007)
1-Jul    ATLANTA PEACHTREE AP, GA           105°F   105°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    CLEVELAND FLTR PLT, TN             105°F   105°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    GADSDEN, AL                        105°F   105°F (2 days prior)
1-Jul    KNOXVILLE AP, TN                   105°F   105°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    GREENEVILLE EXP STN, TN            104°F   103°F (Jul 29, 1952)
1-Jul    CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS AP, NC           104°F   104°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    DALLAS 7 NE, GA                    104°F   104°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    CARROLLTON, GA                     103°F   103°F (Jul 17, 1980)
1-Jul    JAMESTOWN WWTP, KY                 103°F   103°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    LEXINGTON BLUEGRASS AP, KY         103°F   103°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    TAZEWELL, TN                       103°F   103°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    ERWIN 1 W, TN                      102°F   101°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    HELEN, GA                          102°F   102°F (1 day prior)
1-Jul    MURPHY, NC                         100°F   99°F (Aug 23, 2007)
1-Jul    PISGAH FOREST 3 NE, NC             98°F    98°F (1 day prior)
2-Jul    LEWISBURG EXP STN, TN              112°F   110°F (Jul 29, 1930)
2-Jul    SILOAM 3N, GA                      110°F   109°F (1 day prior)
2-Jul    WASHINGTON 2 ESE, GA               109°F   109°F (Jun 30, 1952)
2-Jul    BARREN RIVER LAKE, KY              108°F   108°F (1 day prior)
2-Jul    CARTERSVILLE, GA                   108°F   108°F (1 day prior)
2-Jul    ALLATOONA DAM 2, GA                106°F   105°F (1 day prior)
2-Jul    ROCHESTER FERRY, KY                106°F   105°F (Aug 17, 2007)
2-Jul    WEST PELZER 2 W, SC                106°F   104°F (2 days prior)
2-Jul    WAYNE 2, WV                        105°F   105°F (Jul 18, 1986)
2-Jul    DALLAS 7 NE, GA                    104°F   104°F (1 day prior)
2-Jul    GREENEVILLE EXP STN, TN            104°F   104°F (1 day prior)
2-Jul    LA GRANGE 1N, GA                   104°F   104°F (Jul 25, 1952)
2-Jul    CARROLLTON, GA                     103°F   103°F (1 day prior)
2-Jul    OPELIKA, AL                        103°F   103°F (Aug 11, 2007)
2-Jul    MURPHY, NC                         100°F   100°F (1 day prior)
3-Jul    CARTERSVILLE, GA                   108°F   108°F (1 day prior)
3-Jul    LA GRANGE 1N, GA                   104°F   104°F (1 day prior)
3-Jul    CASTLE ROCK, CO                    100°F   99°F (Jul 6, 1973)
4-Jul    BATTLE CREEK 5NW, MI               102°F   101°F (Jun 28, 1971)
4-Jul    LONE ROCK TRI CO, WI               102°F   101°F (Jul 30, 1955)
4-Jul    KALAMAZOO BATTLE CK INTL AP, MI    102°F   102°F (Jul 6, 1988)
4-Jul    PONTIAC OAKLAND CO INTL AP, MI     100°F   99°F (6 days prior)
4-Jul    LANSING CAPITAL CY AP, MI          100°F   100°F (Aug 1, 1988)
5-Jul    CARBONDALE SOUTHERN IL AP, IL      107°F   107°F (6 days prior)
5-Jul    EVANSVILLE REGIONAL AP, IN         107°F   107°F (6 days prior)
5-Jul    MADISON DANE CO AP, WI             104°F   104°F (Jul 10, 1976)
5-Jul    KALAMAZOO BATTLE CK INTL AP, MI    103°F   102°F (1 day prior)
5-Jul    BLOOMINGTON MONROE CO AP, IN       103°F   103°F (6 days prior)
5-Jul    MILWAUKEE MITCHELL AP, WI          103°F   103°F (Jul 13, 1995)
5-Jul    OCONOMOWOC, WI                     102°F   101°F (Aug 17, 1988)
5-Jul    BATTLE CREEK 5NW, MI               102°F   102°F (1 day prior)
5-Jul    LONE ROCK TRI CO, WI               102°F   102°F (1 day prior)
5-Jul    HORICON, WI                        101°F   101°F (Jul 14, 1995)
5-Jul    BEAVER DAM, WI                     100°F   100°F (Aug 17, 1988)
5-Jul    BUCKEYE, WV                        98°F    97°F (5 days prior)
6-Jul    WOODBURY 1 WNW, TN                 110°F   110°F (6 days prior)
6-Jul    CAHOKIA ST LOUIS AP, IL            107°F   107°F (8 days prior)
6-Jul    CARBONDALE SOUTHERN IL AP, IL      107°F   107°F (1 day prior)
6-Jul    CARLYLE RSVR, IL                   105°F   104°F (6 days prior)
6-Jul    INDIANAPOLIS INTL AP, IN           105°F   104°F (8 days prior)
6-Jul    CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, IL         105°F   105°F (Jul 14, 1995)
6-Jul    BLOOMINGTON MONROE CO AP, IN       104°F   103°F (1 day prior)
6-Jul    COVINGTON WSO, KY                  104°F   103°F (Jul 9, 1988)
6-Jul    GERALD R FORD INTL AP, MI          104°F   102°F (Jun 20, 1953)
6-Jul    KALAMAZOO BATTLE CK INTL AP, MI    104°F   103°F (1 day prior)
6-Jul    NORMAL 4NE, IL                     104°F   103°F (Aug 17, 1988)
6-Jul    MONTELLO, WI                       104°F   104°F (Jul 14, 1995)
6-Jul    ROCKFORD AP, IL                    104°F   104°F (Aug 16, 1988)
6-Jul    SOUTH BOSTON, VA                   104°F   104°F (Aug 23, 1983)
6-Jul    BARABOO, WI                        103°F   102°F (Aug 17, 1988)
6-Jul    BATTLE CREEK 5NW, MI               103°F   102°F (1 day prior)
6-Jul    LANSING CAPITAL CY AP, MI          103°F   100°F (2 days prior)
6-Jul    CHENOA, IL                         103°F   103°F (Aug 17, 1988)
6-Jul    LEXINGTON BLUEGRASS AP, KY         103°F   103°F (5 days prior)
6-Jul    BEAVER DAM, WI                     102°F   100°F (1 day prior)
6-Jul    HORICON, WI                        102°F   101°F (1 day prior)
6-Jul    WHITEWATER, WI                     102°F   101°F (Aug 31, 1953)
6-Jul    DAYTON WSO AP, OH                  102°F   102°F (8 days prior)
6-Jul    LONE ROCK TRI CO, WI               102°F   102°F (1 day prior)
6-Jul    WEST CHICAGO DUPAGE AP, IL         100°F   100°F (Jul 24, 2005)
6-Jul    MUSKEGON CO AP, MI                 99°F    99°F (Aug 3, 1964)
6-Jul    STOCKTON 3 NNE, IL                 99°F    99°F (Jul 11, 1989)
7-Jul    CAIRO 3N, IL                       108°F   106°F (7 days prior)
7-Jul    CAHOKIA ST LOUIS AP, IL            107°F   107°F (1 day prior)
7-Jul    BLOOMINGTON MONROE CO AP, IN       106°F   104°F (1 day prior)
7-Jul    QUANTICO MCAS, VA                  106°F   105°F (8 days prior)
7-Jul    LOUISVILLE INTL AP, KY             106°F   106°F (Jul 30, 1999)
7-Jul    ST LOUIS SCI CTR, MO               106°F   106°F (7 days prior)
7-Jul    LEXINGTON BLUEGRASS AP, KY         105°F   103°F (1 day prior)
7-Jul    NORMAL 4NE, IL                     105°F   104°F (1 day prior)
7-Jul    ROCKFORD AP, IL                    105°F   104°F (1 day prior)
7-Jul    INDIANAPOLIS INTL AP, IN           105°F   105°F (1 day prior)
7-Jul    WASHINGTON REAGAN AP, VA           105°F   105°F (Aug 17, 1997)
7-Jul    HUNTINGTON TRI ST AP, WV           104°F   103°F (8 days prior)
7-Jul    COVINGTON WSO, KY                  104°F   104°F (1 day prior)
7-Jul    MOLINE WSO AP, IL                  104°F   104°F (Jun 25, 1988)
7-Jul    PATUXENT RIVER NAS, MD             104°F   104°F (Jul 25, 2010)
7-Jul    ARLINGTON UNIV FARM, WI            103°F   102°F (Aug 16, 1988)
7-Jul    PARKERSBURG FAA AP, WV             103°F   102°F (Jul 16, 1988)
7-Jul    STOUGHTON, WI                      103°F   103°F (Aug 2, 1988)
7-Jul    WARSAW, IN                         103°F   103°F (8 days prior)
7-Jul    FREEPORT WASTE WTP, IL             102°F   101°F (Aug 18, 1988)
7-Jul    BEAVER DAM, WI                     102°F   102°F (1 day prior)
7-Jul    DAYTON WSO AP, OH                  102°F   102°F (1 day prior)
7-Jul    WHITEWATER, WI                     102°F   102°F (1 day prior)
7-Jul    HESPERIA 4 WNW, MI                 101°F   100°F (Aug 21, 1955)
7-Jul    AKRON CANTON WSO AP, OH            101°F   101°F (Jul 16, 1988)
7-Jul    PRESTON, MN                        101°F   101°F (Jul 14, 1995)
7-Jul    WILMINGTON AIRBORNE PARK, OH       101°F   101°F (Jul 14, 1954)
7-Jul    WEST CHICAGO DUPAGE AP, IL         100°F   100°F (1 day prior)
7-Jul    PAINTER 2W, VA                     99°F    99°F (Jul 27, 2005)
7-Jul    PITTSBURGH ALLEGHENY AP, PA        99°F    99°F (8 days prior)
7-Jul    COOPERS ROCK SF, WV                93°F    92°F (7 days prior)
8-Jul    CHILLICOTHE 2S, MO                 110°F   109°F (Aug 29, 1984)
8-Jul    BREMO BLUFF, VA                    109°F   107°F (Aug 8, 2007)
8-Jul    NORMAL 4NE, IL                     107°F   105°F (1 day prior)
8-Jul    WELDON SPRING NWS, MO              107°F   107°F (Aug 30, 1984)
8-Jul    QUANTICO MCAS, VA                  106°F   106°F (1 day prior)
8-Jul    ST LOUIS SCI CTR, MO               106°F   106°F (1 day prior)
8-Jul    CARLYLE RSVR, IL                   105°F   105°F (2 days prior)
8-Jul    RALEIGH AP, NC                     105°F   105°F (8 days prior)
8-Jul    RATHBUN DAM, IA                    105°F   105°F (Jul 23, 1983)
8-Jul    SALEM, IL                          105°F   105°F (Aug 20, 1983)
8-Jul    FREEPORT WASTE WTP, IL             103°F   102°F (1 day prior)
8-Jul    WAYNESBURG 1 E, PA                 102°F   102°F (Jul 17, 1988)
8-Jul    HANNIBAL LOCKS AND DAM, OH         101°F   100°F (Aug 15, 1988)
8-Jul    STEVENSVILLE 2SW, MD               101°F   101°F (Jul 21, 1934)
8-Jul    PAINTER 2W, VA                     100°F   99°F (1 day prior)
8-Jul    PIKE ISLAND   , WV                 100°F   100°F (Jul 17, 1988)
8-Jul    WASHINGTON 3 NE, PA                100°F   100°F (Jul 17, 1988)
8-Jul    COOPERS ROCK SF, WV                96°F    93°F (1 day prior)
8-Jul    LAUREL MTN, PA                     95°F    93°F (Jul 17, 1988)
9-Jul    NOLIN RIVER LAKE, KY               110°F   110°F (8 days prior)
9-Jul    FARMVILLE 2 N, VA                  106°F   106°F (9 days prior)
9-Jul    MONTICELLO, VA                     100°F   100°F (Jul 7, 1999)
11-Jul   BEAVER DAM, AZ                     121°F   120°F (Jul 6, 2007)
11-Jul   CALIENTE, NV                       110°F   110°F (Jul 14, 1915)
12-Jul   EVANSTON BURNS FLD, WY             93°F    93°F (Jul 23, 2006)
13-Jul   SODA SPRINGS AP, ID                102°F   101°F (Jul 14, 2002)
17-Jul   BURLINGTON 2S, IA                  107°F   105°F (Aug 17, 1983)
17-Jul   FLINT FCWOS, MI                    101°F   101°F (Jul 14, 1995)
17-Jul   PONTIAC OAKLAND CO INTL AP, MI     100°F   100°F (13 days prior)
19-Jul   ST LOUIS SCI CTR, MO               106°F   106°F (11 days prior)
20-Jul   POPLAR BLUFF, MO                   113°F   112°F (Aug 9, 1930)
22-Jul   SPRINGVIEW, NE                     113°F   110°F (Jul 17, 2006)
23-Jul   OTTUMWA INDUSTRIAL AP, IA          106°F   105°F (Aug 18, 1983)
24-Jul   RATHBUN DAM, IA                    106°F   105°F (16 days prior)
24-Jul   MEMPHIS, MO                        106°F   106°F (Jul 19, 1954)
24-Jul   LE CLAIRE    14, IA                103°F   103°F (Aug 17, 1983)
25-Jul   ST LOUIS SCI CTR, MO               106°F   106°F (6 days prior)
25-Jul   GUTTENBERG    10, IA               103°F   103°F (Aug 28, 1948)
25-Jul   DUBUQUE WSO AP, IA                 101°F   101°F (Jul 31, 1988)
26-Jul   ST LOUIS SCI CTR, MO               107°F   106°F (1 day prior)
26-Jul   CASCADE, IA                        103°F   103°F (Aug 1, 1988)
30-Jul   JOHN REDMOND LAKE, KS              110°F   109°F (Sep 3, 2000)
31-Jul   RALSTON, OK                        113°F   112°F (Jul 6, 1996)
31-Jul   DES ARC, AR                        109°F   109°F (Aug 1, 1986)
2-Aug    SEMINOLE, OK                       113°F   113°F (Jul 19, 1936)
2-Aug    WATONGA, OK                        112°F   111°F (Aug 6, 1964)
2-Aug    OKLAHOMA CITY WILL ROGERS AP, OK   112°F   112°F (1 day prior)
2-Aug    KEYSTONE DAM, OK                   110°F   110°F (Jul 31, 1986)
3-Aug    OKLAHOMA CITY WILL ROGERS AP, OK   113°F   112°F (1 day prior)
3-Aug    OOLOGAH DAM, OK                    109°F   109°F (Jul 23, 1974)
4-Aug    BURLINGTON 2S, IA                  110°F   107°F (18 days prior)
24-Aug   KANEOHE NAVY AIR STN, HI           96°F    91°F (Aug 27, 2006)
30-Aug   HILL CITY, SD                      101°F   101°F (Jul 30, 2006)
30-Aug   ORLANDO SANFORD AP, FL             100°F   100°F (Jun 14, 2010)
14-Sep   SAN DIEGO MONTGOMERY FLD, CA       107°F   107°F (Sep 27, 2010)
14-Sep   KANEOHE NAVY AIR STN, HI           98°F    96°F (21 days prior)
9-Oct    LIHUE WSO AP 1020.1, HI            91°F    90°F (Aug 30, 1996) 

Record Warmest Year in Midwest

The National Weather Service has reported that 2012 was the record or near-record warmest year at many major climate locations across all of the Midwest. Most of these include periods of record dating back at least a century:

Illinois:
THE AVERAGE TEMEPRATURE FOR 2012 FOR CHICAGO WAS 54.5   
DEGREES...MAKING THIS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD. THE PREVIOUS   
RECORD WAS 54.4 DEGREES IN 1921.   
  
RECORDS FOR CHICAGO DATE BACK TO 1872.  

THE AVERAGE TEMEPRATURE FOR 2012 FOR ROCKFORD WAS 53.1   
DEGREES...MAKING THIS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD. THE PREVIOUS   
RECORD WAS 52.8 DEGREES IN 1931.   
  
RECORDS FOR ROCKFORD DATE BACK TO 1906.

2012 RANKED AS THE SECOND WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR BOTH PEORIA AND  
SPRINGFIELD.  AN UNUSUALLY WARM JANUARY THROUGH JULY PERIOD...INCLUDING 
UNPRECEDENTED MARCH  TEMPERATURES...CONTRIBUTED TO THE OVERALL WARMTH THIS 
YEAR. THE TOP FIVE WARMEST YEARS ARE LISTED BELOW. RECORDS FOR PEORIA DATE  
BACK TO 1883...AND SPRINGFIELD DATE BACK TO 1879.     

PEORIA  
1) 1931 - 55.6 F  
2) 2012 - 55.4 F  
3) 1921 - 55.2 F  
4) 1938 - 54.2 F  
5) 1941 - 54.0 F  
  
SPRINGFIELD    
1) 1931 - 57.5 F  
2) 2012 - 57.3 F  
3) 1921 - 57.1 F  
4) 1938 - 57.0 F  
5) 1946 - 56.6 F 

Missouri:

2012 was the 2nd warmest and 10th driest year on record for Springfield. While overall average temperatures were the 2nd warmest on record...2012 did feature the warmest average high temperatures ever recorded...at 71 degrees. The previous record was 70.1 degrees...set in 2006.

The temperature never fell into the single digits in 2012...which is a rarity. In fact...through new years morning...it has been a record 690 days (and counting) since single digit temperatures were last observed in Springfield. The previous record was 406 days...ending on March 10 1998. Temperatures last fell into the single digits in Springfield on February 11 2011...when the low temperature was 5 degrees.

Persistently warm weather greeted much of the eastern three-quarters of the country in the year 2012, including the bi-state region. In fact, 2012 was the warmest calendar year on record at St. Louis, MO (KSTL) and Columbia, MO (KCOU), and 8th warmest ever at Quincy, IL (KUIN). The record warmth in 2012 was especially bolstered during meteorological spring (March - May) where the month of March at all three locations experienced record warmth. Summer was also well above normal, with all three sites in the top 10 warmest on record. Detailed lists of the top 10 warmest calendar years can be found below:

WARMEST CALENDAR YEARS   

St. Louis, Missouri
Period of record: 1874- Present

Top Ten Avg. Temperatures

1)  61.2 2012
2)  60.1 1921
3)  59.2 1991
4)  59.0 1990
5)  58.7 2011/1998/1938
8)  58.6 1954
9)  58.5 2006/1953/1931

Columbia, Missouri
Period of record: 1890- Present

Top Ten Avg. Temperatures

1)  59.4 2012
2)  58.3 1938
3)  58.2 1931
4)  58.0 1946
5)  57.6 1921
6)  57.5 1954
7)  57.3 1953/1941/1939
10) 57.1 1934

Indiana:

Warmth became the main weather story throughout the year across Central Indiana [Indianapolis]. 2012 set the record for warmest year since records began in 1871. Below is a table of warmest years on record:

Year  Average Temp.
2012  57.0
1921  56.5
1931  56.3
1998  56.0

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR SOUTH BEND DURING 2012 WAS 53.3 DEGREES   
FAHRENHEIT. THIS MAKES 2012 THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD AT SOUTH   
BEND...BREAKING THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 53.0 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT IN   
1998. RECORDS DATE BACK TO 1893 AT SOUTH BEND.   
  
THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE AT SOUTH BEND WAS 63.2 DEGREES   
FAHRENHEIT FOR 2012. THIS SETS A NEW RECORD FOR WARMEST AVERAGE HIGH   
TEMPERATURE...BREAKING THE OLD RECORD OF 62.3 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT IN   
1946 AND 1931.  

THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE AT FORT WAYNE WAS 64.5 DEGREES   
FAHRENHEIT FOR 2012. THIS SETS A NEW RECORD FOR WARMEST ANNUAL   
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE...BREAKING THE OLD RECORD OF 62.9 DEGREES   
FAHRENHEIT IN 1998 AND 1953. RECORDS DATE BACK TO 1912 AT FORT   
WAYNE.   

Ohio:
THE YEAR 2012 FINISHED AS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR COLUMBUS
SINCE COMPLETE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE RECORDS BEGAN THERE IN 1879.

                  TOP 10 WARMEST YEARS ON RECORD

    CINCINNATI                COLUMBUS                DAYTON
 1. 58.1 / 1881           1. 56.6 / 2012*         1. 56.2 / 1921
 2. 57.3 / 1882           2. 56.4 / 1998          2. 56.0 / 1931
 3. 57.2 / 1913           3. 55.5 / 1931          3. 55.5 / 1946
    57.2 / 1874           4. 55.4 / 1991          4. 55.3 / 2012*
 5. 57.1 / 2012*             55.4 / 1921          5. 55.2 / 1998
    57.1 / 1921           6. 55.3 / 1938          6. 55.1 / 1938
    57.1 / 1878           7. 55.0 / 2007          7. 54.7 / 1944
 8. 57.0 / 1880              55.0 / 1946             54.7 / 1939
 9. 56.9 / 1931           9. 54.9 / 1999          9. 54.6 / 1896
10. 56.8 / 1911              54.9 / 1939         10. 54.5 / 1922

   NORMAL: 54.1             NORMAL: 53.0            NORMAL: 52.1

THE YEAR 2012 WAS WARM AND RECORDS FOR ANNUAL WARMTH WERE SET OVER   
NORTHERN OHIO AND NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA...  
  
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN AKRON-CANTON WAS 53.7 DEGREES. THIS MAKES   
2012 THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD AND REPLACES THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF   
53.5 DEGREES SET IN 1931.  
  
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN CLEVELAND WAS 54 DEGREES. THIS MAKES 2012   
THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD AND REPLACES THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 53.5   
SET IN 1998.  
  
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN ERIE PENNSYLVANIA WAS 53 DEGREES. THIS   
MAKES 2012 THE SECOND WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD. THE RECORD IS 53.1 SET   
IN 1998.  
  
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN MANSFIELD WAS 52.9 DEGREES. THIS TIES   
2012 FOR THE SECOND WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD. 1973 ALSO HAD AN AVERAGE   
TEMPERATURE OF 52.9 DEGREES. THE RECORD IS 53.4 SET IN 1921.  
  
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN TOLEDO WAS 53 DEGREES. THIS MAKES 2012   
THE FOURTH WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD. THE RECORD IS 53.6 SET IN 1921.  
  
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN YOUNGSTOWN WAS 52.2 DEGREES. THIS MAKES   
2012 THE SIXTH WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD. THE RECORD IS 54.2 SET IN   
1931.  

Michigan:
A YEARLY RECORD HIGH AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 52.6 DEGREES WAS SET AT   
MUSKEGON MI DURING 2012.  
   
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 50.9 SET IN 1998.  
  
A YEARLY RECORD HIGH AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 51.7 DEGREES WAS SET AT   
LANSING MI DURING 2012.  
   
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 50.6 SET IN 1921.  

A YEARLY RECORD HIGH AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 52.9 DEGREES WAS SET AT   
GRAND RAPIDS MI DURING 2012.  
   
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 52.4 SET IN 1921.  

Sault Ste Marie, Houghton Lake, Alpena, Traverse City, Gaylord (click to enlarge):

Wisconsin:
..TIED FOR WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD IN GREEN BAY  
  
 RANK    AVG TEMP.        YEAR(S)  
-------------------------------------  
  1        49.4          *2012 & 1931  
  3        48.2           1921 & 1998  
  5        47.6           1987  
   
..2ND WARMEST YEAR IN WAUSAU  
  
 RANK    AVG TEMP.        YEAR(S)  
-------------------------------------  
  1        48.7           1998  
  2        47.9          *2012  
  3        47.7           1931  
  4        47.1           1987  
  5        46.4           1999  
   
..4TH WARMEST YEAR IN RHINELANDER  
  
 RANK    AVG TEMP.        YEAR(S)  
-------------------------------------  
  1        46.3           1998  
  2        45.1           1931  
  3        44.3           1999  
  4        44.2          *2012  
  5        43.9           1987  

Minnesota:
WITH AN ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 50.8 DEGREES...2012 TIED 1931   
FOR THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD IN THE TWIN CITIES. THAT TEMPERATURE   
WAS 4.6 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE.   

2012 will be remembered as the warmest on record for Rochester. March crushed its previous warmest on record by over 6 degrees, setting 18 daily high temperature records. On the whole, 33 daily records were set or tied for warmth, with the no cold records. July baked the region and was the 4th warmest month on record for Rochester. Amazingly, 7 months in 2012 set top 10 records for warmth with 2/3rds of the days recording above normal temperatures.
Seasonal:
Warmest spring on record at 53.8 degrees.
2nd warmest summer on record at 72.4 degrees.
Yearly:
Warmest year on record with 50.2 degrees

The official climate locations of Duluth, MN and International Falls, MN will both finish the year as the 3rd warmest since records began. Below are the current rankings for warmest average annual temperature.

Duluth, MN             
1.  44.6 F in 1931
2.  44.5 F in 1887
3.  44.3 F in 2012
4.  43.4 F in 1998
5.  43.0 F in 2006
           
International Falls, MN
1.  42.4 F in 1987
2.  41.4 F in 1998
3.  40.6 F in 2012
4.  40.3 F in 1981
5.  40.3 F in 2006
6.  40.3 F in 1915

Iowa: 

* With an average temperature of 56.0 degrees, 2012 was the warmest year on record in Des Moines. This smashes the old record of 54.5 degrees set back in 1931.
* There were 42 daily records set this year, this ties the number of daily records in a year also set 1936. The next highest of any year is 35 set in 1991. These records include 2 for daily record snowfall, 4 for daily record precipitation, 16 for daily high minimum temperature and 20 for daily record high temperature.
* The 20 daily record high temperatures for 2012 is the most of any year on record. Two years have 19 daily record high temperatures – 1934 and 1936.
* There were 279 days without measurable snowfall starting on March 5th and extending through December 8th. This is the longest streak on record without measurable snowfall. The old record was 277 days set in 1889.
* There were 244 days that had above normal temperatures, 100 days of below normal temperatures with 22 days recording normal temperatures.
* There were 120 days this year that had a departure of 10 degrees or more above normal compared to 15 days of 10 degrees or more below normal. In other words, almost one-third of all days this year were 10 degrees or more above normal.
* There were 60 days this year that had a departure of 15 degrees or more above normal compared to 2 days of 15 degrees or more below normal.
* There were 21 days this year that had a departure of 20 degrees or more above normal compared to no days of 20 degrees or more below normal.
* There were twelve days this year with an average temperature of 25 degree or more above normal. Seven of these occurred in March and early April during the extraordinary warmth during that time.

Record Warmest Year in Mid Atlantic

As previously noted, 2012 was the warmest year on record for Washington, DC. It was also the record warmest at many other locations in the Mid Atlantic area. From National Weather Service reports:

Delaware:
2012 WAS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD AT WILMINGTON WITH AN AVERAGE    
TEMPERATURE OF 57.5 DEGREES. THE PREVIOUS WARMEST ON RECORD WAS   
1973, WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 57.2 DEGREES.   

New Jersey:
2012 WAS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD AT TRENTON WITH AN AVERAGE    
TEMPERATURE OF 57.1 DEGREES. THE PREVIOUS WARMEST ON RECORD WAS   
2011, WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 56.5 DEGREES.   

2012 WAS THE SECOND WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD AT ATLANTIC CITY WITH AN   
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 57.1 DEGREES. THE WARMEST ON RECORD WAS 2011,   
WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 57.2 DEGREES.   

Pennsylvania:  
2012 TIED 1998 FOR THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD AT READING WITH AN   
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 56.3 DEGREES.   

2012 WAS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD AT PHILADELPHIA WITH AN AVERAGE    
TEMPERATURE OF 58.9 DEGREES. THE TWO PREVIOUS WARMEST ON RECORD WERE   
1931 AND 1998, WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 58.2 DEGREES.   

2012 WAS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD AT ALLENTOWN WITH AN AVERAGE    
TEMPERATURE OF 54.7 DEGREES. THE PREVIOUS WARMEST ON RECORD WAS  
1998, WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 54.1 DEGREES.   

2012 WAS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD AT MOUNT POCONO WITH AN AVERAGE    
TEMPERATURE OF 49.4 DEGREES. THE PREVIOUS WARMEST ON RECORD WAS   
2011, WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 48.3 DEGREES.   

Virginia:
..YEARLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES  
CITY (PERIOD OF RECORD)   AVG TEMP  
ROANOKE VA    (1912-2012)  59.5   1ST HOTTEST YEAR ON RECORD 

Spectacularly Warm Start to December in U.S.; Above-Average Temperatures From Coast to Coast

As noted last week, December got an exceptionally warm start in the contiguous 48 states of the U.S., and that trend has continued even more strongly through the first third of the month. Except for 2 weeks in October, nationwide temperatures have been warmer than average every week in 2012 and for 50 of the last 52 weeks.

For December 1-10, temperatures have averaged above normal everywhere from coast to coast. In the calender week ending December 8, of the 215 first-order National Weather Service (NWS) stations reported weekly by the Climate Prediction Center, 1 was missing (Glasgow, Montana), none were equal to or colder than average, only 1 was 1° above average (Key West, Florida), 2 were 2° above, and all the rest were at least 3° above. Over half of the reporting locations were 10° or more warmer than average, and 15 of them across 10 states (AL, AR, IA, IL, IN, KY, MO, MS, SD, TN) had departures of 15° or more for the week.

Even in a year with very warm extremes in January, March, and July, this was some serious heat. For the country overall, the average for all 214 NWS stations was slightly over 10.0° above normal, and the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) geographically adjusted average was 8.9° above average.

Temperatures have not only been consistently warm over a wide area, but many individual locations have set records. For the first 10 days of December, new daily record high temperatures have outnumbered record lows by a ratio of 92 to 1. For the 48 contiguous states, the ratio was an incredible 132 to 1, since 3 out of the 10 low records were in Alaska and Hawaii. During the entire week of December 2-8, not a single low temperature record was tied or broken in any of the 50 states, according to NCDC reports. With 3 weeks remaining in the year, the cumulative ratio of heat records to cold records for 2012 has reached 6.0 to 1, more than double the ratio in 2011.

Images (click to enlarge):
- Weekly average U.S. temperature departures from normal for 2012, through December 8 (20121208); CapitalClimate chart from NOAA/NCDC data
- Weekly average NWS station temperature departures from normal, week ending December 8, 2012; stations listed alphabetically by state and 3-character station identifier; CapitalClimate chart from NWS data
- December 1-10, 2012 U.S. temperature departure from average, from High Plains Regional Climate Center
- Monthly ratio of daily high temperature to low temperature records set in the U.S. for November 2011 through December 2012 to date, seasonal ratios for summer 2011 through fall 2012, and annual ratios for 2012 and 2011.
CapitalClimate chart from NOAA/NCDC data, background image © Kevin Ambrose. Includes historical daily observations archived in NCDC's Cooperative Summary of the Day data set and preliminary reports from Cooperative Observers and First Order National Weather Service stations. All stations have a Period of Record of at least 30 years.

Counting Down to Washington's Record Warmest Year: "It Hasn't Warmed Since 2012!"

Record Hot Year Countdown Scorecard

Date  High Low 2012-YTD 1991-YTD Departure to Miss 
12-10 63   49   62.7      61.5    -18.1    
12-11 62   41   62.6      61.4    -19.5 
12-12 47   39   62.6      61.4    -20.7  
12-13 50   35   62.5      61.4    -22.1 
12-14 52   30   62.5      61.4    -23.4 
12-15 54   37   62.4      61.3    -25.2
12-16 52   46   62.4      61.2    -27.6
12-17 55   48   62.4      61.1    -30.5
12-18 62   43   62.3      61.1
12-19 54   36   62.3      61.0
12-20 53   41   62.2      60.9    -41.0  
12-21 59   39   62.2      60.8
12-22 45   35   62.1      60.8
12-23 47   29   62.1      60.7
12-24 41   31   62.0      60.7
12-25 51   34   61.9      60.6 
12-26 45   33   61.9      60.5
12-27 43   37   61.8      60.5
12-28 45   36   61.8      60.4
12-29 42   34   61.7      60.4
12-30 42   32   61.6      60.3
12-31 41   29   61.6      60.2 

(Departure to Miss indicates how much the average temperature must be below normal for the rest of the year in order to avoid setting a new record for warmest year.)

January 2 Update: Thanks to a quirk in calculation methodology, the National Weather Service is rounding down the final average to 61.5°. It was also the record warmest year at Washington Dulles and the 3rd warmest at Baltimore. From the NWS report:

2012 WAS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR WASHINGTON DC WITH AN ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 61.5 DEGREES. THE PREVIOUS WARMEST ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE ON RECORD WAS 60.2 DEGREES IN 1991. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR 2012 WAS 3.3 DEGREES ABOVE THE 1981-2010 NORMAL AND WOULD BE COMPARABLE TO THE NORMAL ANNUAL TEMPERATURE OF ATLANTA...OKLAHOMA CITY AND SAN JOSE...JUST TO NAME A FEW LOCATIONS.

DULLES ALSO EXPERIENCED THEIR WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD WITH AN ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 57.9 DEGREES IN 2012. THE PREVIOUS WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD WAS 1998...WHEN THE ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 57.1 DEGREES. THE 2012 AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 2.6 DEGREES ABOVE THE 1981-2010 NORMAL.

2012 WAS THE THIRD WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR BALTIMORE WITH AN ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 58.6 DEGREES. ONLY 1931 AND 1949 WERE WARMER WHEN THE ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURES BOTH YEARS WERE 59.2 DEGREES. THE 2012 AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 3.5 DEGREES ABOVE THE 1981-2010 NORMAL.

December 31 Update: The 42/32 temperatures yesterday and 41/29 today give a final unofficial yearly average of 61.6°, so the record is broken by the higher amount of 1.4°. (Chart updated)

December 29 Update: Today's high of 42° exceeded expectations by 4°, so the gap to a final yearly average of 61.6° has narrowed to less than 0.004°. A miss of Monday's forecast low of 26° could be the clincher.

December 28 Update: Today's +4° temperature departure means the remaining 3 days need to average -0.5° or warmer to clinch a 1.4° excess over the old annual record. The forecast is for a deficit of 2.1°, however.

December 27 Update: Thanks to continued above-average temperatures, a departure of just 1° in the next 4 days would be enough to raise the final yearly average to 1.4° above the old record.

December 25 Update: Yesterday was just the second day this month with cooler than average temperatures (2° below). Today's high outpaced expectations, however, as so many recent days have done. The year-to-date average is outpacing the previous record by 1.3° at 61.9°. With less than a week now remaining, it is now highly likely that the final yearly average will break the record by that amount. The forecast temperatures for the next 6 days average exactly equal to normal, and the average would have to be at least 5° colder in order to avoid a final average 1.3° above the old record. On the other hand, a departure of just +1.2° for the final 6 days would raise the yearly average by another 0.1°.

December 17 Update: Today's low of 48° through 5 pm is 2° above the normal high. At this point, even if temperatures set new record lows and record cold highs for every day in the next 2 weeks, it will still be a record warm year.

December 15 Update: While it's technically not impossible, Washington would now have to set a new record low temperature every day for the next 16 days in order to avoid setting a new record high annual temperature. (See scorecard above.)

December 13 Update: The temperature departure from normal required to avoid setting a new record is now over 22° for every day for the rest of the year. Since that is clearly not happening soon, we are verging on the realm of physical impossibility to avoid a record. The average of all record low temperatures for every day from the 14th through the 31st is -25.5° relative to normal.

December 12 Update: Yesterday's high/low temperatures went virtually midnight to midnight; the final values of 62°/41° averaged out 11° above normal. Today was considerably colder, but the 47°/39° range was still 3° on the warm side. Using the forecast temperatures for the next 7 days and climatology for the remainder of the month yields a projected yearly average of 61.4°. It would have to average almost 21° below normal for the rest of the month in order to avoid breaking the previous record.

Original post:
With just 3 weeks remaining before New Year's Eve, it's becoming increasingly evident that the climate denialists will have to find a replacement for the tired old talking point, "It hasn't warmed since 1998." As the November climate summary showed, 2012 is well on its way to being the warmest on record in the U.S. contiguous 48 states. That will most likely be true in many individual locations as well, particularly in Washington DC.

While well below the record for December 10, today's high of 63° was 15° above average, and the low so far of 49° is a degree above the normal high. This puts the average for the month over 50°, more than 7° above normal to date. If this were to continue through the end of the month (extremely unlikely), it would be the warmest December on record by over 4°.

The year-to-date average temperature of 62.7° is 1.2° above the pace of the previous record warmest year of 1991. If the remaining 3 weeks average just normal (high/low range of 48/34 currently, declining to 44/29 by the 31st), the final 2012 average (marked "Climo" on the charts) will still be 1.1° above the old record. This is a huge amount for a yearly average, as indicated by the top-10 chart, which shows only a 0.9° difference between the current record and the 10th place year of 2002.

It will certainly be colder between now and the end of the month, but how much colder would it have to be to avoid breaking the record? Assuming today's low remains unchanged through midnight, the remaining 21 days of December would have to average an eye-popping -18.1° relative to normal just to tie with 1991. That means an average high for 3 weeks below 30° and an average low below 16°. While such a frigid blast is not physically impossible, it would take an incredibly intense and fanatical belief in the Ice Age Fairy to think that it will happen.

Stay tuned; we'll keep you posted as this historic event unfolds.

Note: While not unexpected, these results were so extreme the the Climate Capitalist suspected that the data monkeys down at Momma Nature's Weather Grill had gotten into the eggnog a bit early. A cross-check of the daily year-to-date values with the monthly averages and a comparison of the projection with a hand calculator confirmed the data, however.

November Update: U.S. Continues on Track for Record Warmest Year

The preliminary national climate review for November from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) shows that the U.S. is virtually certain to set a record for warmest yearly average temperature in 2012. Although November was only the 20th warmest on record (tied with 2004), the accumulated warmth so far this year means that December would have to be the coldest on record by a wide margin to avoid setting a new annual record. How likely is that? Through the first 5 days of this month, there have been over 1100 record high temperatures set or tied in the contiguous 48 states, vs. only 3 record lows. This means that the remaining days of the year would have to be even more spectacularly cold to bring the average down to the old record. According to the latest extended forecast from the Climate Prediction Center, however, the odds that December will be warmer than average through the first 3 weeks are quite good.

The highlights from the NCDC:

The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during November was 44.1°F, 2.1°F above the 20th century average, tying 2004 as the 20th warmest November on record.

November brought warmer-than-average conditions to the western half of the country. The largest temperature departures from average were centered near the Rockies where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming had November temperatures among their ten warmest.

The Eastern Seaboard, Ohio Valley, and Southeast were cooler than average during November. North Carolina tied its 10th coolest November on record, with a statewide-averaged temperature 3.5°F below average.

The January-November period was the warmest first 11 months of any year on record for the contiguous United States. The national temperature of 57.1°F was 3.3°F above the 20th century average, and 1.0°F above the previous record warm January-November of 1934. During the 11-month period, 18 states were record warm and an additional 24 states were top ten warm.

It appears virtually certain that 2012 will surpass the current record (1998, 54.3°F) as the warmest year for the nation. December 2012 temperatures would need to be more than 1.0°F colder than the coldest December (1983) for 2012 to not break the record.

2012 U.S. Heat Records Exceeding Cold Records at Nearly Double Last Year's Pace

The number of new daily high temperature records in the contiguous 48 states of the U.S. declined below the number of low records in October for the first time in 22 months. Nevertheless, the first half of November has already rebounded to wipe out that deficit. For the month to date, heat records are outnumbering cold records by a ratio of 3.1 to 1. With only 6 weeks left in the year, the 2012 ratio to date of 5.7 to 1 is almost double the 2011 ratio.

Although the ratio of heat records to cold records has declined substantially in the last several months, double-digit ratios in January, March, and July have kept the year-to-date ratio considerably above last year's. Cumulatively, since January 2010 the ratio for the decade stands at 3.4, just slightly below the peak it reached in July of 3.7.

For the year to date, temperatures have averaged above the previous 30-year normal everywhere in the country except along the immediate northern Pacific Coast and part of interior Washington state. Temperatures so far in November have been cooler than normal in most areas east of the Mississippi, particularly from the Ohio Valley through the Mid Atlantic and Carolinas. Temperatures nearly everywhere else have been warmer than normal.

Images (click to enlarge):
- Monthly ratio of daily high temperature to low temperature records set in the U.S. for November 2011 through November 2012, seasonal ratio for summer and fall 2011, winter, spring and summer 2012, and annual ratio for 2012 and 2011.
CapitalClimate chart from NOAA/NCDC data, background image © Kevin Ambrose. Includes historical daily observations archived in NCDC's Cooperative Summary of the Day data set and preliminary reports from Cooperative Observers and First Order National Weather Service stations. All stations have a Period of Record of at least 30 years.
- Cumulative ratio of U.S. high temperature to low temperature records from January 2010 through November 2012 to date (logarithmic scale); CapitalClimate chart from NOAA/NCDC data
- January to October 2012 U.S. temperature departure from 1981-2010 average, from NOAA/ESRL
- November 1-16 U.S. temperature departure from average, from High Plains Regional Climate Center

Arctic Alaska's Autumn Anomaly: Record Warm October at Barrow

November 11 Update: The warm streak has continued into the first third of November. The monthly average through the 11th is 13.7°, which is 9.0° above normal. Only 2 days so far have been below average (-2° on the 3rd and 5th).

November 1 Update: The preliminary monthly report from the National Weather Service shows the average temperature for October 2012 was above expectations at 27.5°. That is 10.3° above normal and 2.0° above the previous record. [Charts updated.]

The excessively warm temperatures were also reflected in the precipitation total which was 72% above normal.

9 PM Update: As of 2 pm local time, the daily high of 27° and low of 26° yield an average which is 17° above normal. This is now the 6th consecutive day with temperatures of at least 15° above normal.

Original post:
In mid-July, a certain high-traffic weather/climate blog was prematurely touting "Coldest July in history for Anchorage?", and this claim was widely echoed in the climate deniosphere. As noted by Tamino at Open Mind and further discussed in the comments, the Question Mark ? was significant, since the final July average missed the record by over 1°F, putting 2012 in 7th place.

Needless to say, no correction was ever published for this misinformation by the perpetrators, and here's something else you're not likely to see from them: With 4 days left in the month, Barrow, on Alaska's Arctic coast is on track to smash its record for warmest October by an unprecedented margin.

The National Climatic Data Center notes that "Barrow is the most northerly First-Order station operated by the National Weather Service." As such, it has a reliable temperature record extending back nearly a century, to 1920. The first 10 days of October started off as the warmest on record, and the warm streak has continued through the remainder of the month. In fact, the departures from normal have increased even further in the past week, reaching an astonishing 21° yesterday, the 27th. All of the past 5 days have been at least 15° above average. So far, every single day of October has averaged above normal except one which was equal, and the forecast indicates that will continue with double-digit departures through the end of the month.

The monthly average temperature so far of 28.0° is currently 9.6° above average. Despite a cooling trend in the next several days, the forecast temperatures through the 31st indicate a final monthly average of 27.3°, or nearly 13° above the October normal of 14.6°. This would be 1.8° above the previous record in 2006, a margin greater than the difference between the current warmest October and the 7th warmest. Note that 7 of the 10 warmest Octobers at Barrow have occurred in the years beginning in 1998.

Daily high temperature records of 41° and 38° were set on the 5th and 6th. Highest minimum temperature records were set on 4 consecutive days from the 3rd through the 6th, when the temperature failed to go below freezing. Additional warm low records were set on the 23rd (28°) and the 27th (27°). Including 3 more high minimums set in 2011, 9 warmest lows have occurred in the past 2 years. By contrast, only one low minimum temperature record has been set at Barrow in the 13 years of this century.

The extraordinary late-season warmth at Barrow reflects an area of above-normal air temperatures over the Arctic Ocean from north of Siberia eastward to the Beaufort Sea near Alaska, where temperatures have averaged as much as 14°C above normal. This extremely warm area corresponds closely with the wide area of open ocean remaining from the record-breaking Arctic ice melting season of 2012.

Images (click to enlarge):
- October temperatures for 2012 vs. previous 10 warmest years at Barrow, Alaska; CapitalClimate chart from NWS data
- Daily average Barrow temperatures for October 2012 vs. normal; CapitalClimate chart from NWS data
- Northern Hemisphere temperature departures from normal for October 1-24, 2012 from NOAA/ESRL
- Arctic sea ice extent, October 15, 2012 vs. historical median (1979-2000) from National Snow and Ice Data Center

September Global Temperature Tied For Warmest on Record

The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) announced today that the globally averaged land and ocean surface temperature for September 2012 was tied with 2005 as the warmest since records began in 1880. For the year to date, the temperature is the 8th warmest on record.

CapitalClimate analysis of NCDC data shows that the temperatures for the last 16 Septembers beginning with 1997 have all been in the top 16 warmest Septembers (see chart).

From the NCDC:

The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for September tied with 2005 as record highest for September, at 60.21°F (15.67°C) or 1.21°F (0.67°C) above the 20th century average. The margin of error associated with this temperature is ±0.20°F (0.11°C).

September marked the 36th consecutive September and 331st consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20th century average. The last below-average September was September 1976 and the last below-average month was February 1985.

The global land temperature was the third warmest September on record, at 1.84°F (1.02°C) above the 20th century average of 53.6°F (12.0°C). The margin of error is ±0.45°F (0.25°C).

Higher-than-average monthly temperatures were most notable across central Russia, Japan, western Australia, northern Argentina, Paraguay, western Canada, and southern Greenland, while temperatures were below average across far eastern Russia, western Alaska, southern Africa, parts of the upper midwest and southeast United States, and much of China.

Record to near-record warmth over land from April to September and increasing global ocean temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean resulted in the first nine months of 2012 ranking as the eighth warmest such period on record, with a combined global land and ocean average surface temperature of 1.03°F (0.57°C) above the 20th century average of 57.5°F (14.1°C). The margin of error is ±0.18°F (0.10°C).

The January–September worldwide land surface temperature was 1.69°F (0.94°C) above the 20th century average, marking the sixth warmest such period on record. The margin of error is ±0.40°F (0.22°C).

U.S. Heat Streak Extends Into October With 43rd Consecutive Week;September 16th Consecutive Warm Month, Warmest Year to Date By Far

Despite a cold outbreak in the central portion of the country, the U.S. heat streak has extended into its 43rd consecutive week. Preliminary area-adjusted data from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) for the week ending October 6, posted overnight, show that the contiguous 48-state average temperature was 0.1° above normal. This was the smallest positive margin since the streak began with the week ending December 17 of last year. In fact, the raw average of 215 major National Weather Service (NWS) stations was 0.3° below normal.

Of the 9 climate regions, 4 were cooler than normal: East North-Central, Central, West North-Central, and South. The South was the coolest at -2.5°. However, the Northeast and West were each 5° or more warmer than average.

Preliminary data for September show that the month averaged 1.8° above normal, vs. 1.2° for August. The fully-adjusted NCDC result for September, posted a few minutes ago, was 1.4° above the 20th century average:

The average contiguous U.S. temperature during September was 67.0°F, 1.4°F above the 20th century average, tying September 1980 as the 23rd warmest such month on record. September 2012 marks the 16th consecutive month with above-average temperatures for the Lower 48.

The warm season of April-September was the warmest on record:

The contiguous U.S. warm season, defined as the six-month period from April-September, had temperatures that were record warm. The six-month average temperature of 68.2°F for the Lower 48 was 2.6°F above average. The previous warmest April-September occurred in 1934 when the nationally-averaged temperature was 67.6°F.

It was also the warmest year-to-date and 12-month period of October-September:

The January-September period was the warmest first nine months of any year on record for the contiguous United States. The national temperature of 59.8°F was 3.8°F above the 20th century average, and 1.2°F above the previous record warm January-September of 2006. During the nine-month period, 46 states had temperatures among their ten warmest, with 25 states being record warm. Only Washington had statewide temperatures near average for the period.

The October 2011-September 2012 period was the warmest such 12-month period on record for the contiguous U.S., with an average temperature of 56.2°F, 3.2°F above average. This 12-month temperature average tied the June 2011-May 2012 period as the 3rd warmest of any 12-month period. The six warmest 12-month periods have all ended during 2012.

Images (click to enlarge):
- Weekly average U.S. temperature departures from normal, weeks ending June 4, 2011 (20110604) through October 6, 2012 (20121006); CapitalClimate chart from NOAA/NCDC data
- Weekly average NWS station temperature departures from normal, week ending October 6, 2012; stations listed alphabetically by state and 3-character station identifier; CapitalClimate chart from NWS data
- Average U.S. temperature departure from normal for September 30-October 6, 2012
from High Plains Regional Climate Center
- Average U.S. temperature January-September, 1895-2012, from NCDC

Attention Climate Conspiracists: NOAA Adjustments Show Summer 2012 3rd Hottest on Record

Attention climate conspiracists (lookin' at you, Tom Nelson-bot): The NOAA/National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) analysis for August 2012 is in, and it shows that Summer 2012 was tied for the 3rd hottest on record in the contiguous 48 states of the U.S. That's right, analysis of the raw National Weather Service (NWS) data and even the preliminary August adjustments from NCDC showed the summer would be at least tied with 2011 for second place, but the final analysis posted today lowered the August average by 0.1° to a tie with 2006 for 3rd place.

Rather than being 10th warmest, as the preliminary data indicated, August came in at 16th warmest with an average of 74.4°, nearly half a degree below the raw estimate of 74.8°. This is a pattern that CapitalClimate has seen since we started tracking weekly averages at the beginning of summer: The weekly raw averages from 200+ NWS stations are adjusted downward by NCDC, and the monthly averages end up being even more conservative.

From the NCDC summary:

The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during August was 74.4°F, 1.6°F above the 20th century average, marking the 16th warmest August in a period of record that dates back to 1895.

Higher-than-average temperatures occurred across much of the West, where Nevada tied August 1934 as its warmest August on record, with a statewide temperature 4.0°F above average. Six additional states across the region had August temperatures ranking among their ten warmest. Much of the Northeast was also warmer than average, where five states from Maine to Delaware had monthly temperatures among the ten warmest.

Much of the Central U.S. had near to below average August temperatures, with lower-than-average temperatures across the Ohio Valley and the Southeast.

The warmer than average August, in combination with the hottest July and a warmer than average June, contributed to the third hottest summer on record for the contiguous United States. The summer season’s nationally-averaged temperature was 74.4°F, 2.3°F above the 20th century average. Only the summers of 2011 (74.5°F) and 1936 (74.6°F) had higher temperatures for the Lower 48.

The summer season was warmer than average for a large portion of contiguous United States, with the exception of the Southeast and parts of the Northwest. Sixteen states across the West, Plains, and Upper Midwest had summer temperatures among their ten warmest. Colorado and Wyoming each had their record hottest summer, with seasonal temperatures 4.4°F and 4.9°F above average, respectively. Much of the Northeast was warmer than average, where seven states from New Hampshire to Maryland had a top ten warm summer.

Images (click to enlarge):
- Hottest U.S. average summer temperatures, CapitalClimate chart from NCDC data
- Statewide average temperature ranks, Summer 2012, from NCDC
- U.S. average temperature departures from normal, August 2012, from NOAA/HPRCC
- Statewide average temperature ranks, August 2012, from NCDC

Only 4% of U.S. Cooler Than Average as Fall Begins With 39th Consecutive Warm Week

CapitalClimate analysis of temperature data from 215 National Weather Service (NWS) stations shows that the week ending September 8 was 4.0° above average in the contiguous 48 states of the U.S. Just 9 locations, or 4% of the total, were cooler than normal. This is the 39th consecutive week with above-average temperatures. Except for one week in early December, every week in the past winter, spring, and summer has now been warmer than normal.

Here is the complete list of NWS locations which were cooler than average for the week (alphabetically by state):

State  City      ID    Departure
CA SAN FRANCISCO SFO    -3
CA STOCKTON      SCK    -1
FL KEY WEST      EYW    -1
ID POCATELLO     PIH    -1
MT BUTTE         BTM    -2
MT HAVRE         HVR    -2
ND JAMESTOWN     JMS    -1
ND WILLISTON     ISN    -1
SD ABERDEEN      ABR    -1 

38th Consecutive Warm Week Concludes Warm August, Summer, Last 12 Months

September 4 Update: The preliminary NCDC adjusted average for August is 1.2° above normal. This keeps summer 2012 on track for the second hottest on record in the U.S. All 9 regions except for East North-Central were above average in August.

Original post:
CapitalClimate analysis of preliminary National Weather Service data shows that the week ending September 1 was the 38th consecutive week of above-average temperatures in the contiguous 48 states of the U.S. The unadjusted average of temperatures from 215 NWS stations was 3.9° above climatology, up significantly from the geographically adjusted 0.8° the previous week.

The very warm final week of August capped a month in which the overall preliminary temperature was 1.3° above average. If this holds through the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) analysis, the monthly average of 74.8° would be tied for the 10th warmest August, just behind 2010. Combined with the record hottest July and warm June, the summer estimated average of 74.5° would be tied with 2011 as the second hottest on record, 0.1° behind 1936.

For the year to date as well as the past 12 months dating back to September 2011, average temperatures have been warmer than normal nearly everywhere in the country except the immediate Pacific Northwest coast. The warmest temperatures relative to average have been in the upper Midwest and northern Plains.

Images (click to enlarge):
- Weekly average U.S. temperature departures from normal, weeks ending June 4, 2011 (20110604) through September 1, 2012 (20120901); CapitalClimate chart from NOAA/NCDC data
- Weekly average NWS station temperature departures from normal, week ending September 1, 2012; stations listed alphabetically by state and 3-character station identifier; CapitalClimate chart from NWS data
- Warmest U.S. summer average temperatures (2012 estimated); CapitalClimate chart from NCDC data
- Average U.S. temperature departure from normal for September 2011 through August 2012 from High Plains Regional Climate Center