U.S. slightly surpasses 1936 record for hottest summer ever, NOAA says
CBSN
The contiguous U.S. just recorded its hottest summer ever, topping the previous record set in 1936 by less than a hundredth of a degree, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found in a recent climate report. Between June and August 2021, the average temperature in the lower 48 states was 74 degrees Fahrenheit.
NOAA reported that 18.4% of the contiguous U.S. experienced extreme or record-breaking heat during the summer months. This summer was in the top five hottest on record for 16 states, and California, Oregon, Utah, Idaho and Nevada experienced their hottest summers ever recorded. At one point in August, over 200 million Americans were under heat advisories. In Oregon, temperatures reached an all-time high of 116 degrees Fahrenheit in June, killing 63 people and forcing the city of Portland to shutter its light rail and street car services and encourage residents to stay inside.Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.