This past meteorological summer, which spans June 1 to Aug. 31, was ranked the third-hottest summer across the contiguous United States.
In a report recently published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the average temperature this past summer for the Lower 48 was 78.9 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 2.5 degrees F above average.
This year ranks right behind the summer of the Dust Bowl, 1936, and the scorching summer of 2021, both of which had an average temperature of 74.0 degrees F, which is 2.6 F above normal.
“Perhaps even more notable was the fact that no cities in the U.S. experienced below-normal temperatures when averaged over the summer,” Ferrell added.
But it wasn’t just temperature records that were broken. Record flooding events and extreme drought made the headlines frequently throughout the summer.
This summer, an ongoing drought tightened its grip across the Southwest, drying up lakes, rivers and reservoirs. According to U.S. Drought Monitor, a severe-to-extreme drought still covers all of California, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico as of mid-September.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/climate/summer-of-2022-ranks-as-3rd-warmest-on-record-for-contiguous-us/1246198