2018 is more than halfway over, and temperatures across most of the United States are warmer than the long-term average.
2018 US Temperature Data
Climate records from the Southeast Regional Climate Center (SERCC) show that 731 stations are experiencing temperatures that are warmer than average, while 97 stations are colder than average. Stations in the SERCC database have a period of record of at least 30 years.
The city with the most anomalous warmth is Kotzebue, Alaska which is 2.4°C (4.3°F) above their 30-year average temperature, while Havre, Montana is the city with the most anomalous cold at 1.7°C (3.0°F) below their 30-year average.
Out of the 828 US climate stations, 285 have a period of record that is greater than or equal to 100 years. Within this data set a similar trend of warmer than average to colder than average temperatures are observed.
Looking even further into the data, 39 stations are seeing a top 3 warmest year on record through 11-July, while there are no stations currently experiencing a top 3 coldest year.
Just in July alone, record-breaking warmth gripped parts of the Great Lakes, Northeast, and southern California with several dozen record highs.
The US temperature data so far from 2018 is in line with predictions made in the latest version of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change from 2014.