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More than 5,000 high temperature records set in past month
U.S. swelters in summer heat.
Heat wave shifts to the West.
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — The central and eastern U.S. will get some relief from a record-setting heat wave this week, as a cold front drops southward, but other parts of the country will see temperatures spike.
The desert Southwest will experience triple-digit temps the next few days, with highs climbing into the 120s in Death Valley and up to 112 degrees in Las Vegas and Phoenix as high pressure shifts westward.
By contrast, highs will drop down into the upper 80s in some of the big East Coast population centers, where cities like Washington, D.C. experienced more than week of readings reaching the upper 90s and lower 100s.
Up to 60 people reportedly have died as a result of the heat wave.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more than 2,000 high temperature records were matched or broken in late June and early July, with more than 3,200 daily high temperature records surpassed in June.
Five states had more than 100 record temperatures broken in June. Texas had 237 records broken, followed by Colorado (226), Kansas (164), Missouri (126), and Arkansas (115).
During the first week of July, 141 locations across 19 states tied or set all-time heat records, 133 of them higher than 100 degrees.
Heat records set in early July. Map courtesy NOAA.
| Period | Hi Max | Hi Min | Lo Max | Lo Min | Precip* | Snow* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yesterday | Jul 7, 2012 | 327 | 200 | 13 | 2 | 42 | 0 |
| Last 7 Days | Jul 1 – 7, 2012 | 2,278 | 1,251 | 139 | 77 | 353 | 0 |
| Last 30 Days | Jun 8 – Jul 7, 2012 | 5,278 | 2,980 | 752 | 689 | 1,687 | 5 |
| Last 365 Days | Jul 9, 2011 – Jul 7, 2012 | 37,313 | 37,001 | 9,574 | 6,258 | 30,899 | 4,976 |
| Month to Date | Jul 1 – 7, 2012 | 2,278 | 1,251 | 139 | 77 | 353 | 0 |
| Year to Date | Jan 1 – Jul 7, 2012 | 24,346 | 19,457 | 3,535 | 2,522 | 15,076 | 2,955 |
| Last Year to Date | Jan 1 – Jul 7, 2011 | 13,658 | 12,076 | 9,646 | 5,924 | 17,916 | 7,470 |
Filed under: climate and weather, Environment, global warming Tagged: | climate, heat wave, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. high temperature records, U.S. weather
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