January to June 2012 warmest first half of any year on record

As overcast skies move in, Eric Vandeven and his son Braxton ,10, enjoy the relatively cooler temperatures in their backyard pool July 8, 2012, in Imperial, Mo. / Laurie Skrivan,AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch

(CBS News) January to June 2012 was the warmest first half of any year on record for the contiguous United States, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The average temperature during that period was at 52.9 degrees F, which is 4.5 degrees above the typical average. Twenty-eight states east of the Rockys were had record warm temperatures, with an additional 15 states in the top 10 for warm temperatures. Every state across the contiguous U.S. had warmer than average temperatures, except Washington.

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The first six months were also drier than average, producing 1.62 inches below nationally-averaged precipitation. Fourteen states had precipitation totals among their ten driest for the time period. However, wetter-than-average conditions were observed Northwest and upper Midwest. Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington had six-month precipitation totals among their ten wettest.

The higher temperatures were aided by the recent heat wave that caused at least 65 deaths. While temperatures have cooled down, the temperature has broken more than 2,100 temperature records since July 1.

The high heats have also aided the wildfires in their spread and damaged crops in the Midwest. Iowa farmer Andy Hall said that corn prices have risen 18 percent this month because of the heat damage.

"You can tell the corn's been stressed by the way the leaves are curled up. It looks like pineapples," Hall explained to CBS News.

The high-temperatures may be a warning for future warming trends, Jake Crouch, a scientist at the National Climatic Data Center, told Reuters. Whether or not pollution from carbon dioxide emissions is the main cause, the higher temperatures are becoming a "new normal."

"It's hard to pinpoint climate change as the driving factor, but it appears that it is playing a role," he said. "What's going on for 2012 is exactly what we would expect from climate change."

[ge556]

Every year since 2000 has been globally warmer than every year before 2000 except one, 1998 (since global data has been recorded).

[ge556]

For those who think the Earth is too big for little humans to affect: We have increased atmospheric CO2 by 40% since 1880.

For those who want to see almost every denialist talking point refuted, see skepticalscience.com

[ge556]

For those who think the Earth is too big for little humans to affect: We have increased atmospheric CO2 by 40% since 1880.

For those who want to see almost every denialist talking point refuted, see skepticalscience.com

[Gradivus]

Right, every localized short-term period of higher temperatures is just what we'd expect from global warming. And every localized short-term period of lower temperatures, like the record cold experienced by Europe all of last winter, is just what we'd expect from global cooling.

People are easily buffaloed, and today's media like it that way.

[Lerianis6]

I'm sorry, but by the numbers in my town, my county and the state that I live in, this is just not true. I'm seriously wondering if they are punking the numbers once again by only looking at urban areas, where because of the heat island effect it is always hotter.

[vielmann]

Yes, I know. Here I am in So. CAL and it's minus 15 degrees in the sun. Don't them dumb scientist know nuthin? SO what if half the nation is consumed in drought and in the triple digits? It's cold in my back yard so I will just plug my lil' ol ears and act like you.

[aintfakin]

fredricwilliams July 9, 2012 9:37 PM EDT
The consensus of science in the middle ages was that the Sun went around the Earth. The fact that a large number of people believe something is not evidence for anything. There is ample evidence that the temperature of the planet has been rising for about 20,000 years -- we are in an "interglacial period" of the current Ice Age. There is also evidence that the temperature has been rising for the past 100+ years (with the exception of 1940-70). However, when a "scientist" says that the recent warm weather "may be a warning for future warming trends" he is blowing smoke.

And for some odd reason, people have come to think that glaciers are something we should have more of. I think they have no idea what a period of glaciation would do to humanity. It isn't pretty.
-----------------------
nice try fred but you are the one blowing smoke.
"the fact that a large number of people believe something is not evidence for anything"?????
Come back again when you want to fly in the face of the National Academy of science and their mountain of recorded evidence.
Maybe the planet has been warming gradually for 20,000 years but you also mentioned the last 100 years. You get credit for that but you conveniently forgot to mention the last 100 years, which coincides with exponential growth of population and human industrial activity the rate has increased in an amount tha humbles the last 10,000.
I'm also trying to figure out who said we need more glaciers. Glaciers are merely more evidence of your denia.l

[aintfakin]

captainelectron July 9, 2012 9:04 PM EDT
It was the coldest year on record here in Alaska. Please send more warming: you are doing it wrong.
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lie
there was more snow than ever...maybe....but if you live in Alaska you also know warmer temps than normal mean more snow. Extreme cold squeezes out humidity that creates snow

[tvwatcher5345]

it is sad to see the website USdroughtmonitor as the red states get redder as they will not use the brain The Good Lord gave them

[tryingtodogoodwork]

As the world burns, only in the United States is there doubt (among GOPers and other ignorantarians) that human-created climate change is now alarmingly close to burning us to a crisp.

Vote Democrat, 2012 (as if your children's lives depend on it -- because they indeed do).

[ludvig1-2009]

My first High School Chemistry experiment back in 1964 or 65? Beaker of ice water mixture. Bunsen burner turned on. Temperature increase over time measured. Ice buffers temperature change which is relatively constant until all the ice melts. Temperature then increases rapidly. Next buffer point is the boiling point of water. Beaker = earth. Bunsen burner = sun. Ice = glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland.

[MarkDonners]

the sun's warming is a tiny fraction of warming from massive human CO2 emissions and one of the factors that earth's life systems have evolved to deal with. Also crude drop out high school experiments don't equal the production of physicists in organizations like NASA who have been working for 20 years..presenting hard evidence of what massive human fossil emission is doing to blind redneck apes who refuse to believe even the evidence of their own eyes

[marychgo]

I think ludvig was agreeing with you, Mark....