July 2012 Was Hottest July on Record

Data released by the NOAA today indicates that July 2012 was the hottest July recorded since record-keeping began in 1895. That means a 117 year old record was broken this past month. The record comes at a time when global warming returns to the debate world.

The average temperature across the nation reached 77.6 degrees (F), a full 3.3 degrees above the 20th century average.

Many are asking is this is a result of global warming. I prefer not to give an opinion on this piece yet, as I would like to see at least 2 years of warmer than normal temperatures to consider such a possibility. While the past 12 months have been the warmest 12 months since record keeping began, one must remember that global warming is warming the entire world and therefore will be slow to occur.

Andrew