Second-Warmest U.S. Summer Recorded in 2011, Federal Agency Says

U.S. scientists say the summer of 2011 was the nation’s second-warmest on record, with an average temperature of 74.5 degrees F from June through August — about 2.4 degrees higher than long-term averages — and with four states setting new summer records. Heat conditions were particularly blistering during August, with an average temperature of 75.7 degrees F, about 3 degrees warmer than the average between 1901 and 2000, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Across the southern U.S., record temperatures and below-average precipitation combined to create destructive drought conditions, with some areas experiencing a drought of greater intensity — though not yet duration — than during the 1930s and 1950s, according to the Palmer Hydrologic Drought Index. Meanwhile, states across the northeastern U.S. experienced wetter-than-normal conditions in August, with Hurricane Irene contributing to the wettest recorded Augusts for four states — New Jersey, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire.