New
York Times: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration announced that July's average temperature of
77.6 °F (25.3 °C) made it the hottest month in the
lower 48 states since the US began keeping records in 1895.
That temperature is 3.3 degrees higher than the 20th-century
average. The previous warmest month was July 1936 in the midst
of the Dust Bowl droughts. The areas that saw the greatest
variance from the norm were the Midwest and the East Coast,
with Virginia experiencing its hottest July on record and 63%
of the nation experiencing drought conditions. July also marked
the end of a 12-month period that was the warmest on
record.
