2012 was warmest year in USA history: NOAA

Creative Commons: Anile Prakash, 2010

2012 was the warmest year on record for most of the US, according to a new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The latest data shows that the lower 48, all the states apart from Alaska and Hawaii, experienced the second most extreme year of weather as well as record high average temperatures.

The average temperature for the year was 12.9°C, 1.7°C above the 20th century average and 0.5°C above the previous record set in 1998.

"In 117 years of data the record low temperatures to 1998's previous record high average, all sit within a four degree Fahrenheit band, 2012 is 1 degree Fahrenheit above that band," said Jake Crouch, climate scientist, NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).

Read more: Resp0nding to Climate Change >>

http://tcktcktck.org/2013/01/2012-was-warmest-year-in-usa-history-noaa

Australian Prime Minister warns of more extreme heatwaves due to climate change

Courtesy: Australia Bureau of Meteorology, 2013

Facing 'unprecedented' heat and threats of 'catastrophic' wildfires, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has publicly stated her concerns about climate change. Gillard is the latest head of state to acknowledge the growing risk we now face from more extreme weather events after Barack Obama spoke about the issue following Hurricane Sandy. She warned of the role played by global warming during a visit to a burnt out school in Tasmania, which succumbed to the wildfires currently ravaging the Australian continent amidst a record breaking heatwave.

Australians are trapped under a 'dome of heat' which according to the Bureau of Meteorology has smashed a 40 year old record for national average temperature (weighing in at a sizzling 40.33°C) and toppled the record for number of consecutive days over 39°C which now stands at 6 days and counting. Experts believe the heatwave is set to continue, as over 100 wildfires continue to rage across the countryside in New South Wales alone, threatening lives and property in a natural disaster that some experts believe could rival the notorious firestorms of 2009 that claimed hundreds of lives.

Learn more: The Atlantic Wire >>

http://tcktcktck.org/2013/01/australian-prime-minister-warns-of-more-e

Devastating wildfires in Australia linked to climate change

Wildfires in Tasmania, Creative Commons: Toni Fish, 2013

Facing a record breaking heat wave and catastrophic wildfires raging across Tasmania and New South Wales, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard spoke publicly of the connection between these weather conditions and climate change.

"We do know that over time as a result of climate change we are going to see more extreme weather events," said Prime Minister Gillard.

Fires are currently burning in five out of the six Australian states. Though no fatalities have been reported, emergency workers continue to search for missing people.

According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, the last four months of 2012 set new maximum temperature records across the nation. In fact, the Bureau added new colors to their forecasting charts to indicate never before seen temperatures of up to 54 degrees Celsius. These temperatures, in combination with a delayed and weak monsoon season, helped to spark the dangerous wildfires in the eastern part of the nation.

Like U.S. President Obama's remarks in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Prime Minister Gillard's comments reflect the growing awareness amongst world leaders of the connection between climate change and a 'new normal' of increased dangerous weather events. Average temperatures in Australia have climbed by almost 1 degree Celsius since 1910 due to climate change, and may continue to rise by up to 5 degrees Celsius by 2070. This news comes as the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirms that 2012 was the hottest year on record for the United States.

http://tcktcktck.org/2013/01/devastating-wildfires-in-australia-linked