The United States just experienced its second-warmest June on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The average temperature of the contiguous United States in June was 71.8 degrees Fahrenheit (about 22.1 degrees Celsius), 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit (about 1.9 degrees Celsius) above average, said the NOAA in a monthly report released on Tuesday.
"The World's Tallest Thermometer" in Baker, California, reads above 125 degrees Fahrenheit (51 degrees Celsius) during a heat wave in Baker, in California, U.S., July 7, 2024. /CFP
The agency, which started keeping records 130 years ago, pointed out that about 24 million people across portions of the West, South and Northeast experienced their warmest June for overnight temperatures.
Heat waves impacted the Southwest, Great Lakes, Northeast and Puerto Rico in the month, breaking temperature records and creating life-threatening conditions, said the NOAA.
Arizona and New Mexico each had their warmest June on record as temperatures were above average to record warm across much of the contiguous United States. And 18 additional states saw one of their top 10 warmest Junes on record, according to the NOAA.
People cool off in misters along the Las Vegas Strip, July 7, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. /CFP
For the January-June period, the average contiguous U.S. temperature was about 10.5 degrees Celsius, about 1.9 degrees Celsius above average, ranking second warmest on record for this period, the agency added.