June Breaks Monthly Temperature Record in U.S., Arctic Sea Ice at All-Time Low

June was the warmest on record since 1895 in the U.S., with a monthly average temperature of 71.8 F in Lower 48 states, 3.3 F above normal.

NOAA

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there have also been eight weather and climate disasters with losses exceeding $1 billion each in the first half of the year—a combination of severe storms and massive flooding.

NOAA

In the Arctic, sea ice extent plunged 100,000 sq. miles below the previous record low set in June 2010, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) showed. The sea ice extent was 525,000 sq. miles below the 1981-2010 long-term average. From mid-June onwards, ice cover reduced 70 percent faster than typical rate of ice loss, at an average rate of 29,000 sq. miles a day.

NSIDC

For a deeper dive: Guardian, AP, Washington Post, The Hill, Bloomberg, Climate Central, Guardian, Washington Post

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