Coming in Hot! U.S. Scorches Way to Its Third-Warmest Summer on Record
September 22, 2022 Climate change remains a hot-button topic around the world. Close to home, extreme weather discussion demands attention as temperature and precipitation records continue to fall. Case in point: NOAA is reporting the U.S. has just recorded its third-hottest summer on record.
August capped off what the government agency calls “a distinctly hot summer.” According to NOAA, the average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during meteorological summer (June 1 through August 31) was 73.9°F, 2.5°F above average. This stat ranks it as the third-hottest summer on record (128 years), trailing only last year and 1936 respectively.
How does 2022 stack up overall so far? For the January through August period, the average contiguous U.S. temperature was 55.4°F, 1.5°F above average, ranking in the warmest third of the record. Florida had its fourth-warmest such YTD on record and California saw its fifth warmest.
Not only has it been hotter than normal, some parts of the country have been exceptionally wet. Extreme rainfall events last month contributed to a record wet August for Mississippi, as well as the third-wettest August for Nevada and Louisiana. On the flip side, Nebraska experienced its second-driest August on record.
Year to date, the nation is running 1.03 inches below average, ranking in the driest third of the January-August record. California ranked its driest YTD on record.
On a related note, the tropics are starting to percolate after an odd lull in activity. For the first time since 1997, there was no storm activity reported in the North Atlantic basin during the month of August. As of this post, there are five systems being tracked, including major hurricane Fiona.
To read NOAA’s latest climate report, visit ncei.noaa.gov.
Loading ...