June breaks monthly temperature record in US

Last month was the hottest June on record in the United States, federal researchers announced Thursday. 

The average temperature in June was 71.8 degrees Fahrenheit in the contiguous United States — 3.3 degrees above the 20th-century average.

{mosads}It was the hottest June in the U.S. since record keeping began in January 1895, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported, breaking the previous record set in 1933 by 0.2 degrees.

The first six months of 2016 were the third-warmest on record in the United States, the agency reported. 

Every state in the country has been warmer than average for the year, and Alaska in particular is “shattering” its records, the NOAA said, with year-to-date temperatures 9 degrees above average and 2.5 degrees above the record set there in 1981. 

Last month was also the 14th driest June on record in the U.S. More than 16 percent of the contiguous U.S. was experiencing drought conditions at the end of June, an increase of about 3.5 percent over the end of May. 

The U.S. has also experienced eight weather and climate disasters that have cost more than $1 billion each this year. That doesn’t include the severe flooding that struck West Virginia in late June.  

The data released Thursday covers only temperatures and records set in the United States. Officials will release global temperature figures later this month.

Thirteen months in a row have broken their previous global temperature records, and 2016 is widely expected to end up as the warmest year on record as well.