U.S. Average Temperature map tops 1936 record

July's average US temperature topped a 1936 record by more than 3 ...

Brutal July heat a new U.S. record

By the CNN Wire Staff

updated 2:47 PM EDT, Wed August 8, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• July's average U.S. temperature topped a 1936 record by more than 3 degrees
• The first seven months of 2012 are the warmest since record-keeping started in 1895, NOAA says
• The high temperatures have contributed to a drought that has battered farmers

(CNN) -- The July heat wave that wilted crops, shriveled rivers and fueled wildfires officially went into the books Wednesday as the hottest single month on record for the continental United States.

The average temperature across the Lower 48 was 77.6 degrees Fahrenheit, 3.3 degrees above the 20th-century average, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration reported. That edged out the previous high mark, set in 1936, by two-tenths of a degree, NOAA said.

In addition, the seven months of 2012 to date are the warmest of any year on record and were drier than average as well, NOAA said. U.S. forecasters started keeping records in 1895.

Animated map: U.S. drought in 2012

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Drought is good business for some

And the past 12 months have been the warmest of any such period on record, topping a mark set between July 2011 and this past June. Every U.S. state except Washington experienced warmer-than-average temperatures, NOAA reported.

The high temperatures have contributed to a "rapid expansion" of drought across the central United States, NOAA found. Dozens of cities and towns already have seen the mercury hit record levels this summer, and three states -- Nebraska, Kansas and Arkansas -- saw record dry conditions between May and July.

That's battered American farmers' corn and soybean crops, driven farmers to sell or slaughter cattle they can't feed and spurred the U.S. Department of Agriculture to designate more than half of all U.S. counties as disaster zones.

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Past 12 months warmest ever recorded in U.S.

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http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/08/us/temperature-record/index.html

The drought as it moves forward into the fall and winter appears to be centered around Illinois and surrounding states. This also appears to be where the higher temperatures than normal (3 to 8 degrees above normal are also centered. Though the drought appears to be proceeding at least until the fall or later it is uncertain if these above normal temperatures will also continue centered in the nation around Illinois and spreading outwards in all directions from there. If you take a look at a July Heat map it shows above normal temperatures from Canada on down to about Oklahoma and over into Utah and Nevada and then over into as far east as Ohio. My son was even telling me it was in the 80s and 90s Fahrenheit in Maine which I believe is sort of unusual for that far north even in August.

Here on the California coast weather is also very unusual but in a completely different way. We likely had the most sunshine I can remember ever which is sort of like taking all the sunshine in the last 5 years and putting it into January through June. But in late July it started misting at night which is unusual from the fog off the ocean every single night for several weeks. It wasn't rain but mist  that wet our redwood decks in our backyard to the point where they have been wet every morning for some time now. So, what this does is flowers that we would only normally see in Spring and early summer are still blooming in the forests and deer and many other animals instead of breeding once are breeding twice or three times so there are animal babies everywhere which is very unusual too. So, strange weather is throughout the U.S. this year accompanied by animals breeding multiple times which is also unusual.

 

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