climate change . . . and ability to think . . .

Every time there is a flurry of snow somewhere one or another of my neighbors or office colleagues (buttoning up their longjohns . . . ) tell me that it proves climate warming is bogus . . . do none of the schools continue to teach critical thinking . . . ?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Climatic Data Center tells us that 2012 was the warmest and second most extreme year on record for the contiguous U.S. The State of the Climate:

2012 marked the warmest year on record for the contiguous United States with the year consisting of a record warm spring, second warmest summer, fourth warmest winter and a warmer-than-average autumn. The average temperature for 2012 was 55.3°F, 3.2°F above the 20th century average, and 1.0°F above 1998, the previous warmest year.