For the United States: "2012 marks the warmest year on record for the contiguous U.S.," stated Jake Crouch, a climate scientist at the National Climatic Data Center at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) January 8, 2013.

According to a new NOAA report, the average temperature for the lower 48 states in 2012 was 13 Degrees Celsius (°C) [55.3 Degrees Fahrenheit (°F)], shattering the previous 1998 record of 12.4 °C (54.3 °F).

NOAA also announced 2012 was the second most expensive year on record for U.S. weather disasters. 2012 witnessed more than $1 billion in damages from extensive heat and drought, western wildfires, and the destruction from Hurricane Sandy (which rode in on a super-high tide due to rising sea levels).

"The blazing temperatures that scorched America in 2012 are a bitter taste of the climate chaos ahead. Science tells us that our rapidly warming planet will endure more heat waves, droughts and extreme weather." said Dr. Shaye Wolf, climate science director with the Center for Biological Diversity.

Australia began 2013 in the midst of an excessive heat wave, causing catastrophic wild fires so massive they can be seen from satellite images in space.

Temperatures exceeding 50°C (122 °F) caused Australia's Bureau of Meteorology to add new colours to its interactive weather forecasting chart to extend its previous temperature range that had been capped at 50 degrees.

Australia's first seven days of 2013 were all among the hottest 20 days on record in terms of average maximums, with the country setting a new national average maximum of 40.33 °C (104.6 °F) on January 7, 2013.