South Dakota Global Warming

If you thought 2012 was hot, it wasn't just your imagination.  In their annual report, titled State of the Climate, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration revealed that the average annual temperature was 55.3 degrees.  That's 3.3 degrees higher than the previous record-high temp, which was set in 1998.  IT WAS THE HOTTEST YEAR EVER: In Lower 48 States

It was a record breaking warm 2012 in South Dakota. A few examples of record-breaking states from DailyTech.com include North Dakota, which has had temperatures 10.4 degrees above normal; Minnesota, with 9.6 degrees above normal; South Dakota, with 9 degrees over average; Wisconsin, with 8.6 degrees above normal, and Iowa, with 8.6 degrees over average.

And get this from the LA Times: Last year was the hottest year on record for the contiguous 48 states, marked by near-record numbers of extreme weather events such as drought, wildfire, tornadoes and storms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In its annual report, State of the Climate, NOAA reported that the average annual temperature was 55.3 degrees — 3.3 degrees greater than the average temperature for the 20th century. It was also a full degree higher than the previous record-high temperature, set in 1998 — the biggest margin between two record-high temperatures to date. The report confirmed what many Americans may have suspected over the last year: that extreme weather events are becoming more common. The only year when there were more extreme weather events was 1998, largely because a greater number of tropical cyclones made landfall, NOAA researchers said. The average temperature was 3.3 degrees higher than in the 20th century, NOAA says, bolstering indications that global warming is linked to extreme weather events.

Personally I kind of enjoyed all the warm weather the last couple of years in Sioux Falls. I didn't use my snow blower but a couple of times. I got to golf almost every month of the year. And the snow didn't prohibit my dog from easily crapping outdoors. So again, what do you think: Is Global Warming real??