As Americans sought relief from sweltering temperatures, the summer of 2024 etched its place in history as the fourth-hottest on record for the US, according to a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The average temperature across the contiguous US during the meteorological summer (June through August) soared to 23.2 degrees Celsius, a staggering 1.4 degrees above average on record. This exceptional heat led to numerous cities shattering their all-time temperature records, painting a stark picture of a warming climate, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Arizona, California, Florida, Maine, and New Hampshire all sizzled through their warmest summer on record,” NOAA reported on Tuesday. The heat was particularly intense in urban areas, with Phoenix and Arizona experiencing an average summer temperature of 37.2 degrees Celsius.
The scorching temperatures weren’t limited to the lower 48 states. In a remarkable event, Deadhorse Airport in Alaska recorded a temperature of 31.7 degrees Celsius on August 6, breaking the previous all-time high set in July 2016. This reading also marked the highest temperature in Alaska north of 70 degrees latitude.
While some regions grappled with intense heat, others faced extreme weather events.
Three tropical systems impacted the US in August alone, including Hurricane Debby which made landfall in Florida and South Carolina, and Tropical Storm Ernesto which caused significant flooding and power outages in Puerto Rico.
The effects of this hot summer have extended beyond the season itself. NOAA data showed that the first eight months of 2024 ranked as the second-warmest year-to-date in the 130-year climate record. The average US temperature from January through August was 13.8 degrees Celsius, 1.7 degrees above the 20th-century average.
As communities across the nation continue to adapt to these changing climate patterns, the data from this summer serve as a stark reminder of global warming’s ongoing impacts. With several months remaining in the year, 2024 is on track to potentially become one of the hottest years on record for the US.