U.S. Experienced Record Warm 1st Half of Year, Widespread Drought and Northeast Record Rainfall
Category:Climate Type: News Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Date: Saturday, July 14th, 2007
U.S. EXPERIENCED RECORD WARM 1ST HALF OF YEAR,
WIDESPREAD DROUGHT AND NORTHEAST RECORD RAINFALL
The average temperature for the continental U.S. from January through June 2006 was the warmest 1ST half of any year since records began in 1895, according to scientists at NOAA's Countrywide Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. Last month was the 2nd warmest June on record and nationally averaged precipitation was below average. The continuation of below normal precipitation in certain regions and much warmer-than-average temperatures expanded moderate-to-extreme drought conditions in the contiguous U.S. However, much of the Northeast experienced severe flooding and record rainfall during the last week of June. The global surface temperature was 2nd warmest on record for June.
U.S. Temperature Highlights
The average January-June temperature for the contiguous U.S. (based on preliminary data) was 51.8°F (11.0°C), or 3.4°F (1.8°C) above the 20th century (1901-2000) average. 5 states (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri) experienced record warmth for the period. No state was near or cooler than average.
The nation observed the 2nd warmest June on record this year. In the West, eleven states were much warmer than average. Only 5 states (Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and South Carolina) were cooler than normal for the month.
The June statewide average temperature for Alaska was near average, and January-June was 0.55°F (0.30°C) cooler than the 1971-2000 average.
U.S. Precipitation Highlights
The average precipitation for June 2006 across the continental U.S. was 0.3 in. (8 mm) below the 20th century average.
Record rainfall in parts of the Northeast during May and June contributed to the wetter-than-normal 1ST half of the year for that region. Heavy precipitation along the East Coast from June 22-28 resulted in widespread flooding. For example, Washington's Reagan Countrywide Airport reported 11.37 inches (289 mm) during that time and a record June total of 14.02 inches (356 mm). In excess of ten inches (254 mm) of rain fell in Federalsburg on Maryland's Eastern Shore in a 24-hour period.
In June, 45 percent of the contiguous U.S. was in moderate-to-extreme drought (based on the Palmer Drought Index), an increase of six percent from May, while 27 percent was in severe-extreme drought (up from 20 percent in May). Additionally, from January through June, warm, dry conditions spawned In excess of 50,000 wildfires, burning In excess of 3,000,000 acres in the contiguous U.S. and Alaska, according to the Countrywide Interagency Fire Center.
Global Highlights
It was the 2nd warmest June on record for global land- and ocean-surface temperatures since records began in 1880 (1.08°F/0.60°C above the 20th century mean) and the 6th warmest year-to-date (January-June) (0.90°F/0.50°C).
In 2007 NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Business Department, celebrates 200 years of science and service to the nation. Starting with the establishment of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA. The agency is dedicated to enhancing economic security and Countrywide safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), N.O.A.A. is working with its federal partners and In excess of 60 countries to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes.
