Americans Just Endured the Hottest Month in 132 Years
Americans Just Endured the Hottest Month in 132 Years(Bloomberg) -- The US just sweltered through the warmest month ever recorded. The average temperature for the US mainland reached 76.9F (24.9C) in July, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Monday. The US government has been tracking temperatures for 132 years. July’s average was around three degrees higher than the 20th-century average. It also exceeded the previous record set in July 1936 — during what’s known as the Dust Bowl — by about 0.1F, according to NOAA data.“This is what we expect on a warming planet,” says Andrew Pershing, a climate scientist at the nonprofit Climate Central. “In a few years, this will feel like a cool July.”The July record is the result of weeks of scorching temperatures in the US, including a heat dome over the July 4 holiday and sweeping heat warnings later that month. Europe, meanwhile, is facing its fifth major heat wave of the year this week, as climate change drives long-term increases in temperatures worldwide.Scientists have shown that human-caused climate change can make heat waves more likely to happen, as well as more intense — including this summer.
Discussion (0)