Some new numbers crunched by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and 2012 tallies reveal even more monthly weather records set than the 3,251 records smashed in 2011, with record-breaking heat, rainfall and snow events catalogued by State – Top Ten States — CO, IL, IN, MD, ME, MN, NV, TN, WI, WV — to be Highlighted in the findings. In 2012, Americans experienced several unforgettably devastating extreme events. Climate scientists say these types of events are fueled by climate change:
- 2012 was the warmest year ever recorded in the US, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) State of the Climate report released last Tuesday.
- Hurricane Sandy’s storm surge height, 13.88 feet, broke the all-time record in the New York Harbor, and ravaged communities across New Jersey and New York with floodwaters and winds.
- The summer of 2012 was the worst drought in 50 years across the nation’s breadbasket, with over 1,300 US counties across 29 states declared drought disaster areas.
- The hottest March on record in the contiguous US, and July was the hottest single month ever recorded in the lower 48 states.
- Wildfires burned over 9.2 million acres in the US, and destroyed hundreds of homes.
- NOAA has estimated that 2012 will surpass 2011 in aggregate costs for U.S. annual billion-dollar disasters, in large part due to the trails of destruction from Superstorm Sandy and the yearlong drought.
- See more details HERE
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