Last year was the warmest year on record for the contiguous United States, with an average temperature of 55.3 degrees, 3.2 degrees above the 20th Century average and 1.0 degree above 1998, the previous warmest year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Every state in the Lower 48 recorded an above-average annual temperature for 2012, NOAA said. Nineteen states had a record warm year, and an another 26 states had one of their 10 warmest years. Nationally, 2012 began with the fourth warmest winter (December 2011-February 2012) on record, followed by the warmest spring on record, which included the warmest March on record. July was the warmest month ever observed in the contiguous United States, with an average temperature of 76.9 degrees, 3.6 degrees above average. The summer months were the second hottest on record and both Autumn and December temperatures were warmer than average, although not of the same magnitude as the rest of the year, NOAA said.

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