If you're a Missourian and felt hot under the collar in 2012, there is good reason.
The National Weather Service says 2012 was the warmest year on record in St. Louis and Columbia and tied for the fourth-warmest in Joplin.
St. Louis recorded an average temperature of 61.2 degrees for last year, a full 1.1 degrees higher than the previous mark of 60.1 degrees set in 1921. St. Louis had 21 days reach triple-digit temperatures.
In Columbia, the average temperature of 59.4 degrees topped the previous record of 58.3 degrees set in 1938. Joplin matched the 61.6-degree average set in 1946.
The weather service maintains records at six Missouri cities. Springfield's 2012 temperatures were the second-warmest, Kansas City's tied for third and St. Joseph's tied for sixth.
What about the national data? The NOAA says 2012 was the warmest on record for the continental United States.
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