July turned out to be an exceptional month of triple threats for the western U.S., with record heat, drought and raging wildfires. The nation as a whole had a hot July — with extreme rainfall in areas already saturated while sparing others that needed it most. Here’s a climate snapshot of the month of July and the year to date, according to scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information:

Climate by the numbers: July 2021
The average temperature last month across the contiguous U.S. was 75.5 degrees F (1.9 degrees above average), placing July 2021 in the 13th-warmest spot in the 127-year record.

California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington had their hottest Julys on record. Five other states — Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Utah and Wyoming — saw their top-10 hottest Julys.

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