Contiguous US Breaks Its Record For Hottest Month Ever, NOAA Says

The contiguous United States recorded its hottest month on record in July, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Lower 48 states averaged 76.89 degrees Fahrenheit, surpassing the previous record set during July 1936 by one-eighth of a degree. Alaska experienced unusually cool conditions, while above-normal temperatures dominated the Lower 48, with the most intense heat concentrated in the Mountain West, Southwest, Northern Plains and Southeast. Nighttime temperatures were a significant factor in the record heat. Nighttime lows broke the previous record for hottest minimum temperatures by 0.7 degrees, NOAA reported. Scientists note that increasingly warm nights are characteristic of human-caused climate change.