Last updated October 15, 2021
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Western US Record Hot June 2015

United States

The northwestern U.S. experienced a particularly hot June in 2015, with records broken in Washington,[1] Oregon,[2] Idaho,[3] Utah,[4] Nevada and Alaska (where fires burned nearly 2 million acres).[5][6][7][8] In the last week of June alone, 465 daily and 49 monthly heat records were broken or tied.[9] Record-breaking heat around the world prompted the UN to issue heat wave warning guidelines for the first time.[10]

One of the strongest findings of climate science is that global warming amplifies the intensity, duration and frequency of extreme heat events. Research shows that the weather patterns that cause heat waves like the one in the Northwest have become more common in recent years.[11][12] Furthermore, the imbalance between record highs and record lows has been growing for the past three decades,[13] and 85 percent of recent record-hot days globally are attributed to climate change.[14]

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This chart of the West Coast of the United States reflects the June 2015 temperature departure from normal. Photo: WestWide Drought Tracker, Western Region Climate Center and University of Idaho