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If you spent the summer sunburnt and shvitzing, you weren't alone. It's looking like 2016 was officially one for the record books, and not in a good way—the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that this was California's hottest summer ever (or at least since we started keeping records).
Things weren't much cooler across the country. In fact, ever state in the lower 48 had a warmer-than-normal summer, with an overall average temperature 2.1°F above the 20th century average (California's statewide temperature was 3.3°F above average). Connecticut and Rhode Island also had their hottest summers on record. We are really looking forward to the creative ways that the climate-change deniers try and spin this.
KPCC reports that the drought exacerbated California's hot summer, because dry soil and parched plants can cause temperates to rise. The chart-busting heat and the below-average precipitation also contributed to an especially active wildfire season in the state, according to the NOAA.
Here is the official map showing U.S. temps this summer from the NOAA:
(Graphic courtesy of the NOAA)
And our take:
P.S. Just a friendly reminder that we are still in a drought:
(Graphic courtesy of the California Climate Data Archive)
