UNDATED, MI (WKZO) --    We could see some warm weather this week, an echo of last year. Meteorologists both locally and nationally now say 2012 was the warmest year on record.  We will get the world’s statistics next week.

 Government Climatologist Jake Crouch says a normal year in theU.S.will set an equal number of high and low records.  2012 only set new highs.

Nathan Jeruzal with the National Weather Service inGrand Rapidssays they set new average highs most months, with a March average that beat the old mark by 14-degrees.  He says a number of 100-degree days in the summer also helped make it a record breaking year.

It would be great if the heat resulted in nothing but great tans and nice vacations, but it also generated record drought, unprecedented wildfires, one of the worst years for tornadoes on record and Superstorm Sandy.