The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Thursday that the average temperature in the 48 contiguous states in June, July and August set a new record of 74 degrees Fahrenheit, 2.6 degrees above average.
Washington – Sputnik. “Technically, this exceeds the record heat in the dust bowl summer of 1936, but the difference is very small (less than 0.01 degrees Fahrenheit),” the administration said in a press release.
The statement said that California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah each recorded the warmest summer on record, while 16 other states recorded summers among the top five in terms of temperatures recorded.
This summer has also seen several deadly weather and climate-related disasters, including Hurricane Ida, several wildfires in the western United States, and devastating floods in the east.
“Dust bowl” refers to the intense dust storms and drought that devastated the prairie regions of the USA and Canada in the 1930s. Scientists attribute the multiple heat records for this period to the absorption of sunlight by dry land.