Unless something freezing incredible happens, 2012 is set to be the warmest year in New York City's history—and we aren't just talking since records began. According to tree-ring analysis 2012 may be the warmest year since the Dutch first settled here! But really, NYC, we think we can do better than an average temperature of 57.3°. If we're going to heat up the least we can do is shoot for a balmy 65°, mmkay?
Seriously though, the weather this year has been something else. Not only did the city suffer through Hurricane Sandy while still being one of the driest years on the books but we've also barely seen anything approaching cold weather: "If you were to end the year right now, we would finish a 10th of a degree above 1991, which was the current warmest year on record," David Stark, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, told the Journal. And while of course things could still change—the Mayan Apocalypse might actually herald the start of a new ice age—considering that more than 80 percent of the daily average temperatures recorded in Central Park this year have been warmer than normal we doubt that will happen. This year just looks to be getting warmer and warmer.
On the plus side, year-round tropical temperatures mean more chances to rock our "socially unacceptable" cargo shorts and flip-flops while we take our last steps toward making Earth largely uninhabitable for our grandchildren!
