CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The year 2012 will long be remembered for the drought and the exceptionally warm temperatures.

While the data for December are still preliminary, 2012 was the second warmest and 10th driest year on record for Illinois, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois.

The statewide average temperature for 2012 was 55.5 degrees, 3.3 degrees above normal and the second warmest year on record for Illinois. The warmest year was 1921, with 55.6 degrees. It was the much warmer than normal temperatures in January through May, July, and December that caused 2012 to be ranked so highly.