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July was hottest month in US on record, reports NOAA

July 2012's average temperature of 77.6 degrees Fahrenheit for the continental United States beat the previous record holder, July 1936, by one fifth of a degree, reports the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration.

July 2012 weather events.

NOAA

August 8, 2012

Last month was a record setter. July was the hottest month on record for the continental United States since record keeping began in 1895.

Last month's average temperature, 77.6 degrees Fahrenheit (25.3 degrees Celsius) edged past the previous record holder, July 1936, which hit 77.4 degrees F (25.2 degrees C), according to U.S. weather records.

This record-breaking warmth in July contributed toÌýÌýthe lower 48 states have experienced since the late 19th century, the U.S. National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported today (Aug. 8).

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The previous record, July 1936, was set at a time when the nation was experiencing a multi-year drought, which aggravated the heat. On the other hand, wetter weather tends to mean cooler temperatures.

During July, near-record dry conditions were present for the middle of the country, with the drought footprint expanding to cover nearly 63 percent of the continental United States, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported. []

However, this summer's drought has not been as long-standing as that of the 1930s, leading to speculation that, in spite of a trend toward unprecedented warmth,ÌýÌýwith the Dust Bowl era.

Prior to July, most other records set in the 1930s had already been exceeded, and now, that too has been broken, Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., told LiveScience in an email.

"ByÌýitself this is not such a major feat, but the fact that the first sevenÌýmonths of the year is the hottest on record is much more impressive fromÌýa climate standpoint, and highlights the fact that there is more than just natural variability playing a role: Global warming from humanÌýactivities has reared its head in a way that can only be a major warningÌýfor the future," Trenberth wrote.

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"No, it won't be like this next year, but theseÌýconditions will likely occur somewhere else. And the odds of themÌýoccurring in the U.S. have increased," Trenberth wrote. ÌýÌý

Climate scientists describe global warming as having an effect like a loaded die, favoring the odds of more extreme weather, such as more heat waves.

However, climate scientists do differ on how much heat waves can beÌý, since natural fluctuations are integral to weather.

For instance, studies have come to differing conclusions about the role of global warming in the heat wave that hit Russia in 2010.Ìý

As forÌý, they are linked with La Niña conditions, or cooler-than-average ocean surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, part of a naturally fluctuating climate pattern.

FollowÌýWynne Parry on TwitterÌýÌýorÌýLiveScienceÌý. We're also onÌýÌý&Ìý.

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