Record High Temperatures Across United States

We begin with another big bulletin about the record-breaking heat and the melting at the north pole. A new study shows a global thaw under way, affecting everyone on the planet. And it comes today as... See More

We begin with another big bulletin about the record-breaking heat and the melting at the north pole. A new study shows a global thaw under way, affecting everyone on the planet. And it comes today as we learn how little snow there is here in the united states. As the temperatures here keep rising and the records keep falling. Abc abc's meteorologist ginger zee tells us what's going on. Reporter: Nearly snowless in december. Right now, only 7% of the united states is covered in snow. That's even less than this time last year, when 32% of the nation was laced in winter white. Not enough snow means no skiing. Yet. This resort in washington state has had to wait. Impatiently. To get our show on the road here. Reporter: Less snow helped make it even warmer this past week. Almost 700 record high temperatures have been set in the past five days. All of that will contribute to 2012 likely becoming the warmest on record in the lower 48. While one week or one season can not tell a climate story, a longer range report card was released by noaa today. The subject ? The arctic, where records were broken this year. In 2012, there was less snow -- and more sea ice melting -- than they've ever measured before. Satellites started measuring arctic ice in 1979. Since then, half has disappeared. And just this year, 4.5 million square miles melted away, an area the size of the u.S. And mexico, combined. Melting is a big concern, because that moving water that's currently thawed into the ice, moving it into the ocean. If that continues, that's going to have an impact on people that live in coastal regions. Reporter: Sea levels rising means even more after a storm like sandy. And we learned today that the white house is requesting $50 billion to cover the damage from that epic storm but the states involved say that isn't going to be enough. These bulletins just keep coming. Reporter: Right. And they keep finding these reports and records. They will. We started records in 1979 in sea ice melt. They will keep changing. And the man I talked to, he anticipates more.