From Green Right Now
The first half of 2012 was the hottest Jan-June period in the contiguous US states since record-keeping began 118 years ago, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)*.
Overall, it was 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit above normal across the contiguous U.S., a record-breaker brought on by aberrantly warm springtime months followed by a sizzling June in a wide swath of the U.S., encompassing the Northeast, Ohio River Valley and the Great Plains. The South and Southwest also experienced above normal temperatures.
Twenty-seven states recorded their hottest ever first half of the year. They are:
Arkansas — 4.5 degrees above normal
Colorado — 6.4 degrees above normal
Connecticut — 5.2 degrees above normal
Delaware — 5.3 degrees above normal
Illinois — 5.9 degrees above normal
Indiana — 5.5 degrees above normal
Iowa — 7 degrees above normal
Kansas — 6.1 degrees above normal
Kentucky — 4.3 degrees above normal
Maryland — 4.8 degrees above normal
Massachusetts — 4.6 degrees above normal
Michigan — 6.2 degrees above normal
Missouri — 6 degrees above normal
Nebraska — 6.2 degrees above normal
New Hampshire — 5.3 degrees above normal
New Jersey — 4.9 degrees above normal
New York — 5.4 degrees above normal
North Carolina — 2.9 degrees above normal
Ohio — 5.3 degree above normal
Oklahoma — 4.9 degrees above normal
Rhode Island — 4.3 degrees above normal
South Dakota — 7.2 degrees above normal
Tennessee — 4.1 degrees above normal
Texas — 3.5 degrees above normal
Vermont — 5.4 degrees above normal
Virginia — 3.7 degrees above normal
Wisconsin — 7 degrees above normal
* NOAA is reporting these Jan.-June averages as “preliminary” because data continues to be collected. “Above normal” is calculated against the average 20th Century temperature norms for a given location.