Of the 12 hottest 12 month periods recorded in the the US, 9 spanned between 2011 and 2012. That includes all 8 of the top 8 periods. This is according to preliminary data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
These are the warmest 12-month periods on record for the contiguous United States. The December 2011-November 2012 12-month period was the sixth warmest consecutive 12-months that the contiguous U.S. has experienced and the warmest November-October 12-month period on record.
~ NOAA
For more check:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/2012/11/supplemental/page-2/
It’s also been pretty dry. For yet more, check: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/
Thanks Climate Progress for the heads up!
~ Nuevaspora