July 9, 2012

The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during June was 71.2°F, 2.0°F above the 20th century average, ranking 14th warmest June on record. Scorching temperatures during the second half of the month broke or tied over 170 all-time high temperature records in cities across America. June temperatures also contributed to a record-warm first half of the year and the warmest 12-month period the nation has experienced since recordkeeping began in 1895.

NOAA announced today a major advance in the ability to predict mass coral bleaching – providing the probability of bleaching up to four months into the future – with a newly developed global seasonal outlook system.