NOAA confirms last month was hottest June ever in US

Last month made history as the hottest June ever recorded in the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

June temperatures were the highest scientists have seen in 127 years of tracking temperatures.

Heat waves from coast to coast led to record-high temperatures that passed the previous record set in June 2016. Overall, the average temperature for the month was 72.6 degrees.

Arizona, California, Idaho, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Utah experienced their hottest Junes ever recorded, while Connecticut, Maine, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming saw their second hottest June, NOAA notes.

The record-breaking statistics come after European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that June was also the hottest June on record for all of North America.

The severe heat had wide-ranging impacts, notably leading to the deaths of dozens in the Pacific Northwest. Some places with unusually warm temperatures, including Seattle, had to open cooling centers, as most residents don’t have air conditioning in their homes.

“This was a true health crisis that has underscored how deadly an extreme heat wave can be,” Jennifer Vines, health officer for Multnomah County, which includes Portland, Ore., told The Wall Street Journal. “As our summers continue to get warmer, I suspect we will face this kind of event again.”