Now Reading: US records hottest July in 132 years, surpassing Dust Bowl record
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US records hottest July in 132 years, surpassing Dust Bowl record
US records hottest July in 132 years, surpassing Dust Bowl record
The US mainland recorded its hottest month in 132 years this July, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. Average temperatures hit 76.9°F (24.9°C), narrowly beating the 1936 Dust Bowl record. Unusually…
The Story in Brief
The US mainland recorded its hottest month in 132 years this July, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. Average temperatures hit 76.9°F (24.9°C), narrowly beating the 1936 Dust Bowl record. Unusually warm nights, the hottest on record, pushed the average up, preventing the human body from recovering from daytime heat. Three major heat domes trapped hot air, and wildfires raged in the Pacific Northwest and Canada.
The heat affected everyday life. An AP-NORC poll, cited by Times of India, found nearly half of Americans reported higher electricity bills, while 40% said travel plans were disrupted. Scientists from Climate Central and the University of Georgia linked the severity to human-caused climate change and El Niño, but noted the 1936 record was driven largely by poor farming practices, not global warming.
The Indian Opinion
The July record is real, but the reflexive blame on climate change alone misses nuance. The 1936 Dust Bowl record came from disastrous farming practices that stripped vegetation, not just greenhouse gases. Today’s heat is indeed worsened by a warming planet, but El Niño and natural heat domes are also at play. The real test is how many record-hot nights follow. If August repeats July’s pattern, the debate over adaptation versus mitigation becomes urgent, not academic.
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com, livemint.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
