Community Corner
'Warmest Year on Record' Lingers in Clearwater
Temperatures in Clearwater and around the Tampa Bay area continue to hang in the mid-80s through the weekend after NOAA announced that 2012 was the warmest in more than 100 years.
According to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, 2012 was the warmest year on record since 1895 in the lower 48 states.
On average, the temperature reached 55.3 degrees in 2012, which topped the previous record set in 1998 by a whole degree, according to The Weather Channel.
Surely you've noticed the abnormally busy pools and action on Clearwater Beach despite the fact that it's January. Experts from The Weather Channel say the unusually warm start to winter is due in part to high pressure spanning from Florida to the Bahamas.
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The high pressure is pushing the polar jet stream into eastern Canada, which results in the cold air being "bottled up in the West and Plains states through the weekend," The Weather Channel reports.
This week, Tampa's temperatures tied with three other cities in Florida for a record warmth January, according to The Weather Channel.
Find out what's happening in Clearwaterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
If you're missing the slight change in seasons, not to worry. Experts from The Weather Channel predict that the daily record highs will drop off by the end of the weekend.
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