If 2012 heralds the end of the world, the weather thus far has certainly been appropriate. Via the The Hill:
Federal data released Thursday show the United States has had its warmest spring, it’s warmest year to date, and warmest 12-month stretch on record. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released figures showing that temperatures during the March-May period in the contiguous United States were far above average, according to records dating back over a century.
“The spring season’s (March–May) nationally averaged temperature was 5.2°F above the 1901-2000 long-term average, surpassing the previous warmest spring (1910) by 2.0°F,” NOAA reported. NOAA, citing temperature data that extend back to the late 1800s, also reported that the first five months of 2012 were the warmest on record for the lower-48 states.
