2012 almost certain to be warmest year on record

It appears all but guaranteed that 2012 will be the warmest year on record for the continental United States, NOAA's National Climatic Data Center announced Thursday (Dec. 6).

Only a freak cold spell could set this year's national average off its record-breaking course, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Temperatures this month would have to be more than 1.0 degree F chillier than the coldest-ever December for the 2012 average to miss its record-high target. The coldest December on record occurred in 1983, when the nation's average temperature dipped to 25.54 degrees F.

So far this year, the average national temperature was 57.1 degrees F through November, marking the warmest first 11 months of any year on record. That's also 3.3 degrees F above the 20th-century average for the January-November period, and 1.0 degree F above the previous record set for those 11 months in 1934. Such records have been kept since 1895.

Last month tied November 2004 for the 20th-century warmest November on record, led by warmer-than-average conditions in the western half of the country.

It was also the eighth driest November. The climate report indicated that over 62 percent of the contiguous United States was in a state of drought as November came to a close.

The current record for the warmest year in the Lower 48 was set in 1998, with an average of 54.3 degrees F.

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[ge556]

Globally, every year since 2000 has been warmer than every year 1880-2000, except for the exceptional El Nino year of 1998.

[sjc_1]

Carbon dioxide emissions rise to 2.4 million pounds per second

Last year, all the world's nations combined pumped nearly 38.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57556678/carbon-dioxide-emissions-rise-to-2.4-million-pounds-per-second/

But gee, that is such a small amount it can't really have much effect over 50-100 years, can it? (sarcasm)

[buckn]

Warmest year on record SO FAR . . . It looks like this is just the beginning. But, global warming is just a myth, right?

[Forty-Four]

Not a myth. However, it is natural...not man-made (although I do believe we have contributed...just not to the extent that they try to say we have). Global Warming and Global Cooling happen in natural cycles on this planet. Just about everything that I have learned in basic geography classes have contradicted the argument of man-made global climate change.

[ge556]

There are natural warming and cooling cycles. This is NOT one of them. It is NOT due to increased solar output. Solar output is down over the last 30 years. It is NOT due to orbital changes. That takes much longer.

It is due to increased CO2. We have increased CO2 in the atmosphere by 40% since 1880. That causes warming that is amplified by increasing the amount of water vapor.