CNN report that the summer of 2011 was the second hottest on record
for the United States, and the hottest in 75 years, government weather
experts said Thursday.
Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas
experienced their warmest summers ever, with several states seeing an
average of more than 86 degrees, scientists with the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration said.
For meteorological purposes, summer consists of the months of June, July and August.
At
least 22 people died as a result of the heat wave that swept the nation
earlier this summer, according to the National Weather Service.
For
15 states, the average temperature ranked among their top 10 warmest,
while overall, 46 of the lower 48 states saw average to above-average
temperatures. Oregon and Washington were the only exceptions.
Texas
had the distinction of experiencing the warmest summer on record of any
state in America, with an average of 86.8 degrees. Dallas residents
sweltered for 40 consecutive days of grueling 100-plus degree
temperatures. Oklahoma, at 86.5, also topped the previous record, of
85.2 degrees, set in Oklahoma in 1934, amid what became known as the
Dust Bowl.
For the month of August, Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana,
New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas had their warmest in recorded history,
while regionally, the Southwest and South also had their warmest August
ever. Only nine of the lower 48 states saw August temperatures near
their average readings, while none experienced below-average
temperatures.
Temperature-related energy demands soared more than
22% above the norm this summer, the largest increase since
record-keeping of energy demands began more than a century ago, NOAA
said.
The persistently warm temperatures for the months of June
through August, combined with below-average precipitation, also
contributed to a record-breaking drought across the southern part of the
United States. Texas was subjected to its driest summer ever, with a
statewide average of only 2.44 inches of rain -- 5.29 inches below the
long-term average, and more than an inch less than the previous driest
summer in 1956.
Neighboring Southwestern states New Mexico and
Oklahoma were also drought-stricken, experiencing their second- and
third-driest summers respectively. Conversely, New Jersey and California
had their wettest summers ever.
Meteorologists are predicting no
immediate end in sight to the heat or drought afflicting the Southern
states. NOAA announced Thursday that la nina, a naturally occurring
climate phenomenon located over the tropical Pacific Ocean, is expected
to strengthen and affect global weather patterns. Scientists attribute
the extreme weather around the globe during the first half of 2011 to
the weather event, and predict that the drought currently overtaking the
states of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma is likely to persist.
The
extremely dry plains are a tinderbox for Texas; nearly 180 wildfires
have been reported across the state in the past seven days, the Texas
Forest Service Texas said. A large wildfire blazing outside Austin has
destroyed nearly 1,400 homes and is not near containment.
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Hasanuddin (Hasanuddin University), Farah Ekawati Mulyadi, got a medical degree (sked) in the age of 19 years. Farah became the youngest medical graduation who got a medical degree.
