NOAA - Hottest Summer On Record For CA, ID, NV, OR, UT
California experienced its hottest summer on record this year as the climate crisis caused deadly heatwaves and intense wildfires in the state and across the American west. Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah – totaling 18.4% of the contiguous US – also endured record hot summers, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Sixteen other states recorded a top-five warmest summer. Across the lower 48 states, the average temperature in June, July and August was 76F (24C), 2.6F (1.4C) above average, which slightly exceeds that of the Dust Bowl summer of 1936.
The west faced historic heatwaves this summer, with cities across the typically cool Pacific north-west hitting their highest temperatures on record as a dome of high pressure extended from California through Canada in June. That early summer heatwave killed hundreds of people in Oregon and Washington, and nearly 500 people in Canada’s westernmost province. Experts warned the heat had probably also killed more than 1 billion marine animals along Canada’s Pacific coast.
In the US, the heat strained the power grid and forced schools, businesses, outdoor pools, Covid-19 testing sites and mobile vaccination units to close. A detailed scientific analysis found the heatwave would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change.
Extreme heat in the region has accelerated and intensified drought conditions, and in California the rising temperatures have baked moisture out of the already dry landscape and increased the risks of wildfires. Last year, the state suffered its worst fire season ever, and this year is on track to outpace 2020 as huge blazes burn. Flames have destroyed more than 3,000 structures, killed one person and burned 2m acres, and there are still months left in the season.
EDIT
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/sep/10/american-west-states-hottest-summer-climate-crisis
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