Scorching temperatures in June's second half helped the continental United States break its record for the hottest first six months in a calendar year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Monday.The Global Warming isn't global:
The last 12 months also have been the warmest since modern record-keeping began in 1895, narrowly beating the previous 12-month period that ended in May 2012.
Every state except Washington in the contiguous United States had warmer-than-average temperatures for the June 2011-June 2012 period.
The recent blistering heat wave broke records across much of the United States, threatening the Midwest's corn crop and helping to fan destructive wildfires.
June was 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 degrees Celsius) warmer in the lower 48 states than the 20th-century average, but still just the 14th hottest June in the record books, NOAA's National Climatic Data Center said in a statement.
June 1933, during the calamitous Dust Bowl period, was the hottest....MORE
Image from Ryan Maue’s policlimate.com
And always be careful with temps north of the 75th latitude. Unless they are from satellites there aren't any weather stations up there.
GISS extrapolates.from southern stations.
Sure does look hot in the eastern U.S. though.
Back on May 21 the Telegraph headline was "Forecasters predict barbecue summer to rival 2003 as temperatures rocket to 27C tomorrow":
But the good news continued as long-range forecasters predicted a baking summer comparable with 2003 - which saw Britain’s all-time record 38.5C (101.3F) temperature - and 2006, the hottest on record at an average of 15.8C.
Weather Services International, part of the Weather Channel, said the ‘pressure blocking’ system which made recent summers cool and wet has disappeared.
Instead, forecasters expect hot and dry high pressure systems, comparable with patterns which delivered the 2003 and 2006 scorchers.
WSI chief meteorologist Dr Todd Crawford said: “The last four summers have been fairly wet and cool across the UK.
“This was driven by extreme levels of North Atlantic pressure blocking as seen in summers 2007-11 - but that pattern has now seemingly ended.
“Reduced levels of blocking should result in a distinctly different summer this year - with high pressure driving warmer, drier and less windy conditions.
“We expect a summer pattern more like 2002-06, with above-normal temperatures.
“An emerging El Nino event suggests the best chances for significant heat during the first half of summer, with increased chances of more widespread, below-normal temperatures by late
WSI forecast temperatures up to 1C above normal in June, up to 2C above normal in July and up to 1C above normal in August - great news for the Wimbledon tennis championships, running from June 25 to July 8, and the Olympics, from July 27 to August 12....
This morning the Telegraph reported:
Desperate shops slash prices after summer wash-out
Dozens of high street chains including Debenhams, French Connection and Warehouse have cut prices of dresses, bikinis and summer clothes by up to 70 per cent, equivalent to savings of around £300million.Over the weekend nine out of 10 clothing chains were on ‘sale’ and offering average discounts of 55 per cent, the highest ever price cuts for a July, according to accountants PwC.
Marks & Spencer is offering 20 per cent off all swimsuits, while DIY chain B&Q has cut the price of many barbecues by a third....A ray of hope in Norfolk:
Rain and cold weather boosts Waitrose sales
