Notes: This news report began with this fact: 2012 was the hottest year in the United States since weather scientists starting keeping records. It was not broken by a little either. The record was by a landslide.

The current heat wave and drought in Australia is so intense that the government had to include a new color in their weather maps, purple, to designate temperatures possibly hitting 130 degrees.

2012 was also the second most extreme weather, featuring tornadoes, wildfires, a massive drought, and of course, Superstorm Sandy.

Many US cities had record warmth, including Washington, DC, where lack of action on climate change may mean 2012 could be a glimpse into an unpleasant future according to many scientists.

Reporter: "So we shouldn't think of 2012 as the last record?"

Heidi Cullen: "This is by no means the last record. You really got to think about Climate Change as something that increases our risks of being unlucky. We need to prepare up front as we move into this warmer hotter more extreme world."

Reporter: "So how do we prepare for her advice? Take stock of where you live and protect your home by doing things like becoming more energy efficient, buying a generator maybe, flood insurance possibly, possibly even raising up your water heater if it is in the basement."

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