The heat was hard to beat around the U.S. last month, making it the 11th warmest July on record. And the sweltering temperatures the last three months brought the warmest May through July on record, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
Let’s see how July 2018 and the year to date fared in terms of the climate record:
Climate by the numbers
July 2018
The average July temperature across the contiguous U.S. was 75.5 degrees F (1.9 degrees above average), tying 1998 as the 11th warmest July in the 124-year record.
For California, July was off the charts: The state saw its hottest July and hottest month on record with an average temperature of 79.7 degrees F.
The average precipitation for July was 2.8 inches (0.02 of an inch above average), which ranked near the middle of the record books. An active monsoon season brought a parade of heavy thunderstorms to the Southwest, while parts of Pennsylvania and Maryland endured record and near-record precipitation, respectively.
Read more at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Image via NOAA