Fact Sheet: 2012, A Year of Record-Breaking Extreme Weather and Climate

The 2012 fact sheet reports that the United States had its hottest year on record and that 2011 and 2012 saw the highest number of billion-dollar extreme weather events in history. It highlights the impact of Hurricane Sandy on New York and New Jersey, noting nearly $80 billion in losses, and notes a century-long 8-inch rise in global sea levels.

• The United States experienced its hottest year on record in 2012. On a global level, 2012 was the 36th consecutive year that the annual global temperature remained above average, and every decade over the last 50 years has been the warmest on record.
• The years 2011 and 2012 each saw a higher number of extreme weather and climate events costing over $1 billion than any previous year in recorded history. In 2011, a record 14 such events occurred.
• Hurricane Sandy's impact on the Northeast United States coast was amplified by abnormally warm ocean temperatures and record high water levels, which were intensified by an 8-inch rise in average global sea level over the last century. New York and New Jersey state officials estimated total losses from Sandy at nearly $80 billion, exceeding the $55 billion in total losses from weather and climate disasters in 2011.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Fact Sheet: 2012, A Year of Record-Breaking Extreme Weather and Climate. https://www.wri.org/research/fact-sheet-2012-year-record-breaking-extreme-weather-and-climate

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Fact Sheet: 2012, A Year of Record-Breaking Extreme Weather and Climate. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/fact-sheet-2012-year-record-breaking-extreme-weather-and-climate.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Fact Sheet: 2012, A Year of Record-Breaking Extreme Weather and Climate |url=https://www.wri.org/research/fact-sheet-2012-year-record-breaking-extreme-weather-and-climate |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendfact, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Fact Sheet: 2012, A Year of Record-Breaking Extreme Weather and Climate}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/fact-sheet-2012-year-record-breaking-extreme-weather-and-climate}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }