US records hottest summer in 132 years, widespread drought conditions

The United States has experienced its hottest summer in 132 years, with severe heat and widespread heatwaves across the country this summer. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that this was the warmest summer the country has seen in 132 years.

According to NOAA data, the average temperature across the contiguous United States from June to August was 23.6 degrees Celsius (74.4 degrees Fahrenheit). This was 1.7 degrees Celsius (3 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the 20th-century average.

Previously, the highest average summer temperatures in the United States were recorded in 1936 and 2021. This year, temperatures were 0.2 degrees Celsius (0.4 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than that record.

NOAA has been keeping US weather records for the past 132 years. The agency said no summer during this period had seen temperatures as high as this year.

August was also the hottest month in US history. The average temperature that month was 24.2 degrees Celsius (75.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

Record temperatures have become increasingly common in the United States in recent years. According to NOAA data, four of the country's five hottest summers have occurred in the past five years. Experts say global warming is increasing due to the burning of fossil fuels, and the rise in temperatures in the United States is part of that broader trend.

During the record temperatures of 1936, severe heat and drought in the Great Plains, combined with harmful farming practices, made the situation worse. This summer, too, rising temperatures and dry weather have intensified across vast areas of the country.

As of September 1, nearly 59 percent of the contiguous United States was under drought. The drought-affected area increased by more than 10 percent in a month. Conditions worsened further in some states in the Great Plains, Midwest and South.

Texas and Oklahoma received less than 30 percent of normal rainfall last August. However, conditions were not the same everywhere. Some states, such as Indiana and Ohio, received record rainfall last August. These areas received nearly double the normal rainfall.

Meanwhile, the intensity of the heatwave in the United States is not likely to decrease quickly. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the El Nino condition is becoming more active and stronger. There are fears it could become one of the strongest El Nino events since records began. Experts believe its effects could last until early 2027.