Its Official, It Has Been Hot and Dry This Summer

From the NWS:

- The intense heat either tied, or shattered, July monthly temperature records in several East Coast cities. Washington D.C. recorded an average temperature of 83.1 degrees F, which tied with July 1993 as the warmest for any calendar month on record. Other July monthly temperature records were broken, or tied, in Atlantic City, N.J. and Hartford, Conn.

- It was the hottest July on record for Delaware and Rhode Island. Along the East Coast, each state from Maine to Florida ranked in their top 10 warmest. Only Montana, Idaho, and Texas had below-normal average temperatures for the month.

- The May-July period was the warmest on record for the Northeast and Southeast climate regions and was the ninth warmest for the Central region. This period produced record warmth for: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The Northwest had its sixth coolest May-July period. Below-average temperatures were experienced in Oregon (fifth coolest), Idaho (seventh), and Montana (eighth) during the same period.

- Wisconsin had its second wettest July, while Texas had its fourth, Iowa its fifth, and Missouri its eighth. By contrast, it was the 10th driest July for Georgia and Virginia.

- Much of the Plains and Upper Midwest experienced above normal precipitation, triggered by moist tropical air that fueled widespread thunderstorms. Several of these systems stalled out and caused major flooding in some areas.

- Precipitation, when averaged across the nation, was much-above-normal, ranking as the 10th wettest May-July period. On the regional level, much of the northern tier United States was above normal. The East North Central had its second wettest May-July. Both the Central and West North Central region had their ninth wettest and the Northwest had its 10th.

- Precipitation was well below normal in Louisiana for the year-to-date period (January-July), as drought conditions continued to deteriorate. The state was more than 9.5 inches below the long-term average for the year, its seventh driest such period in 116 years. Conversely, Iowa was nearly 10 inches above average, its third wettest start to the year.