Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island experienced their warmest summers on record in 2020, according to a new climate report.
New England also experienced dry conditions throughout the summer, and Rhode Island‘s summer was also one of its 10 driest on record, the report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
The report outlined high summer temperatures across the country.
The contiguous United States as a whole experienced its fourth warmest summer and third warmest August on record, according to the report. In addition to several New England states, Arizona also experienced its warmest recorded summer, and 11 others had one of their five warmest summers on record.
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Stations across the southwest, southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and northeast tied or broke their record for their warmest temperatures, according to the report.
The average temperature in August in the U.S. was 74.7 degrees, 2.6 degrees above the 20th century average, according to the report. Throughout summer, the average temperature was 73.6 degrees, 2.2 degrees higher than the 20th century average.