Farewell 2012

You brought North America climactic disaster in so many corners.  Nearly the entire map except portions of tropical Mexico and the Pacific northwest suffered from intense heat and prolonged drought.  You brought devastating extra-tropical hurricanes and tornadoes in the least likely months of January and December.  You  gave us a parting gift of much needed rain for California and a normal looking winter near the end of the month for much of the Midwest and Great Lakes, but aside from that we have seen extremes that seem to be getting worse.  Let's hope 2013 is a bit more gentle on us.

That said, life on this rugged continent has always been a bit more tenacious than even its rugged weather.