U.S. Sweltered through Third-Hottest Summer on Record in 2022

news image
Special Stories
13 Sep 2022 1:00 AM
[A man exercising along an urban waterfront bends down due to the extreme heat. From iStock via NOAA] [Written from NOAA and NOAA NCEI]   A top-10 warm August capped off a distinctly hot summer, as the U.S. saw its third-hottest meteorological summer on record. Here's a breakdown of the temperature and precipitation numbers from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.

Meteorological summer

For meteorological summer (June 1 through August 31), the average temperature for the contiguous U.S. was 73.9 degrees F, 2.5 degrees above average, ranking as the third-hottest summer in 128 years. Summer temperatures were above average across most of the contiguous U.S. Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Texas each saw their second-warmest summer on record, while seventeen additional states across the West, South and Northeast saw their top-10 warmest summer on record. The summer precipitation total across the contiguous U.S. was 8.18 inches — 0.14 of an inch below average — ranking in the middle third in the historical summer record. Precipitation was above average along the West Coast, parts of the Southwest, Midwest, lower Mississippi Valley and northern New England. Meanwhile, precipitation was below average across the Great Plains, southern New England, and portions of the East Coast. Arizona had its seventh-wettest summer on record as Nebraska saw its third-driest summer.

Year to date (January through August 2022)

The average U.S. temperature for the first eight months of 2021 was 55.4 degrees F — 1.5 degrees above the 20th-century average — ranking in the warmest third of the climate record.  Temperatures were above average from Oregon to the Gulf Coast and from the Gulf to New England. Florida had its fourth-warmest such year to date (YTD) on record and California saw its fifth warmest. Temperatures were below average across parts of the Upper Midwest. The nation had 19.68 inches of precipitation for the YTD, 1.03 inches below average, ranking in the driest third of the January–August record.  Precipitation  was above average across parts of the northern Plains, Midwest, and much of the southern Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys. Precipitation was below average across much of the West, central and southern Plains and parts of the Northeast during the January-August period. California ranked driest YTD on record, while Nebraska ranked fifth driest and Nevada ranked seventh driest for this YTD. Edited for WeatherNation by Mace Michaels
All Weather News
More
NHC Monitoring Front in the Southeast Ahead of 4th of July

NHC Monitoring Front in the Southeast Ahead of 4th of July

Tropical downpours for a long holiday weekend

3 Jul 2025 9:25 PM
Flossie is No More, Eastern Pacific Remains Active

Flossie is No More, Eastern Pacific Remains Active

Post Tropical FlossieThe National Hurricane C

3 Jul 2025 9:15 PM
Near Seasonal Temperatures for Many Come July 4th!

Near Seasonal Temperatures for Many Come July 4th!

AAA is expecting over 70 million travelers to

3 Jul 2025 9:05 PM
Northeast Severe Threat on Thursday

Northeast Severe Threat on Thursday

NORTHEAST -A shortwave trough will swing thro

3 Jul 2025 8:05 PM
Severe Storms in the Midwest Could Dampen Holiday Plans

Severe Storms in the Midwest Could Dampen Holiday Plans

NORTHERN PLAINS - A frontal system is expecte

3 Jul 2025 8:00 PM
Northwest Heat Met With Thunderstorm Risk

Northwest Heat Met With Thunderstorm Risk

NORTHWEST - Today, portions of Montana are un

3 Jul 2025 12:00 AM
Severe Weather Threat Continues in the Midwest

Severe Weather Threat Continues in the Midwest

It has been an active, severe season across t

30 Jun 2025 9:00 PM