Posted by Becky Fried Last week the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released temperature data
showing that, in the contiguous United States, March 2012 was
warmer than any other March on record. In fact, last month broke
15,272 high-temperature records and averaged fully 8.6Âº F
warmer than the 20th-century average for March in the United
States. The data also show that the yearâ€™s full first
quarterâ€”January, February, and Marchâ€”was also the warmest
ever recorded. This yearâ€™s oddball winter has left many
Americans wondering to what extent the anomalous heat, premature
blooms, and early onslaught of allergy-provoking pollen across
much of the United States can be attributed to human-caused
climate change. Record and near-record breaking temperatures
dominated the eastern two-thirds of the nation and contributed
to the warmest March on record for the contiguous United States,
a record that dates back to 1895. Source: NOAA No individual
weather patternâ€”not even one lasting three-m