2012 is the warmest half-year on record (PHOTOS)
A firefighter helps battle a brush fire in the Meadowlands near Metlife Stadium on April 11, 2012 in Carlstadt, New Jersey. Fire departments from around the area were on hand to bring under control one of many brush fires that have broken out in New Jersey and New York. Dry conditions, low humidity and strong winds are some of the culprits to the spreading fires.
This may come as no surprise, but the first half of 2012 was the warmest six months in a calendar year on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's data, released on Monday.
The New York Times reported that the average temperature for 2012, through June, was 57.4 degrees Fahrenheit, about 4.5 degrees higher than the long-term average for the same period.
The period was plagued by heat waves, wildfires, storms and black outs across much of the country.
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