U.S. sees second-warmest June on record amid heat waves

LOS ANGELES, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The United States just experienced its second-warmest June on record, according to the country's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The average temperature of the contiguous United States in June was 71.8 degrees Fahrenheit (about 22.1 degrees Celsius), 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit (about 1.9 degrees Celsius) above average, said NOAA in a monthly report released on Tuesday.

The agency, which started keeping records 130 years ago, pointed out that about 24 million people across portions of the West, South and Northeast experienced their warmest June for overnight temperatures.

Heat waves impacted the Southwest, Great Lakes, Northeast and Puerto Rico in the month, breaking temperature records and creating life-threatening conditions, said NOAA.

Arizona and New Mexico each had their warmest June on record as temperatures were above average to record warm across much of the contiguous United States. And 18 additional states saw one of their top 10 warmest Junes on record, according to NOAA.

For the January-June period, the average contiguous U.S. temperature was 50.9 degrees Fahrenheit (about 10.5 degrees Celsius), 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit (about 1.9 degrees Celsius) above average, ranking second warmest on record for this period, the agency added.