According to the State of the Climate Global Analysis recently published by NOAA- the National Atmosphere and Ocean Administration -, the globally-averaged land surface temperature for May 2012 was the all-time warmest on record, at 1.21°C (2.18°F) above average (fig.1). It also broke a record as the warmest May in the Northern hemisphere, closely following the global record of May 2010. The consequences are evident all across the Northern hemisphere.