Weekly Weather Wee View: 30th Consecutive Warm Week, 90% of US Above Average

Preliminary data from 215 National Weather Service stations indicate that the 48-state contiguous U.S. average temperature was above normal for the 30th consecutive week in the 7 days ending yesterday (July 7). The Pacific coast was the only region with significantly cool temperatures while the heat intensified from the Midwest through the Mid Atlantic and Northeast.

The weekly unadjusted average was 6.1°F above the 1981-2010 climatology, up from 3.9°F the previous week. Over 90% of locations were warmer than average.

The warmest locations were Chicago and Rockford, Illinois; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Madison, Wisconsin, each at +15°F and the coolest was San Diego, California at -5°F. No other location was more than 2°F cooler than average.

Images (click to enlarge):
- Weekly average U.S. temperature departures from normal, weeks ending June 4, 2011 (20110604) through July 7, 2012 (20120707); CapitalClimate chart from NOAA/NCDC data
- Weekly average NWS station temperature departures from normal, week ending July 7, 2012; stations listed alphabetically by state and 3-character station identifier; CapitalClimate chart from NWS data
- Average U.S. temperature departure from normal for week ending July 7, 2012 from High Plains Regional Climate Center