March 2012 Was The Warmest In US History

It’s been a pretty warm year. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration March 2012 was the warmest in United States’ history.

USA Today reports that the average temperature this March was 51.1 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 8.6 degrees above the 20th century average. The first three months of the year were 6 degrees higher than average.

But the warm weather may not be good news. The unusually warm weather has some scientists alarmed. According to Business Week more than 1500 warm temperature records have been set this year. Every state in the country set a new hottest day mark this March and 25 states east of the Rockies had their warmest March in history.

Jerry Meehl, a climate scientist who specializes in extreme weather at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, said:

“Everybody has this uneasy feeling. This is weird. This is not good. It’s a guilty pleasure. You’re out enjoying this nice March weather, but you know it’s not a good thing.”

The unusual warm weather isn’t a new thing, either. Several cities considered this the “year without winter” (it was the fourth warmest on record) and we are currently in the warmest 12-month stretch in history.

University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver said:

“When you look at what’s happened in March this year, it’s beyond unbelievable… it is one of the most stunning examples of evidence of global warming.”

NOAA climate scientist Gabriel Vecchi said that the warm weather can’t be directly linked to global warming. Vechhi said that the warm weather could be compared to a baseball player on steroids. An individual home run can’t be directly linked to steroids, says Vechhi, but one will see more home runs hit and long-held records fall.