Could 2012 be hottest on record for the contiguous U.S.?

The preliminary data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are in, and the results confirm what most Americans already suspected – 2012 has so far been the warmest of any year on record for the contiguous United States.

National temperatures in from January to September averaged 59.8 degrees Fahrenheit, 3.8 degrees above the 20^th century average.

Record temperatures have also been set at state-levels.

“During the nine-month period, 46 states had temperatures among their ten warmest, with 25 states being record warm. Only Washington had statewide temperatures near average for the period,” NOAA reported in its latest State of the Climate report.

click image to zoom At the current pace, this year will likely be the hottest ever for the continental portions of the country. See the graph to the right for a look as possible outcomes.

The first nine months of 2012 was also the 11^th driest period on record for the lower 48 states with precipitation totaling 1.98 inches below the average of 22.67 inches.  For September, record and near-record dry conditions were experienced through the western states and into the Plains and Midwest.

A few preliminary monthly climate extremes include

Location	Record Type	Value	Previous Record Date
Rapid City, South Dakota	All-time high minimum temperature record for the month	76 degrees F on Sept. 1	73 degrees F on Sept. 7, 1931
Valentine, Nebraska	All-time high minimum temperature record for the month (tied)	73 degrees F on Sept. 2	73 degrees F on Sept. 3 1897 and Sept. 6, 1939
Billings, Montana	Driest September on record	Trace	0.06 of an inch in September 1964
Sheridan, Wyoming	Driest September on record (tied)	Trace	Trace in September 1930
Aberdeen, South Dakota	Driest September on record	0.01 of an inch	0.05 of an inch in September 1979
Mobridge, South Dakota	Driest September on record	0.05 of an inch	0.06 of an inch in September 1969
Pierre, South Dakota	Driest September on record (tied)	Trace	Trace in September 1893

Read more from NOAA here.

Globally, September temperatures tied with 2005 as the warmest September since 1880, when record-keeping began. Temperatures were 1.21 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20^th century average of 59.0 degrees.

NOAA’s Global Analysis of the State of the Climate report showed that the U.S. wasn’t the only country to suffer from the wrath of drought. Several countries in eastern Europe, including Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Poland, experienced drought during September; it was one of worst droughts for Hungary in two decades.

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