ISTANBUL

The United States grappled with a relentless onslaught of extreme weather events in July, including record-breaking heat, raging wildfires, and a powerful hurricane, according to a report released Thursday by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

The average temperature across the US during July was 75.7F (24.3C), 2.1F above the historical average, making it the 11th-warmest July on record in 130 years. The states of California in the West and New Hampshire in the Northeast both saw their warmest July on record, while 19 other states saw their top 10 warmest July, according to the report.

The scorching temperatures fueled the growth of the Park Fire in California, the fourth-largest wildfire in the state's history, burning over 401,000 acres (1,622 square kilometers) and destroying more than 560 structures, the report noted.

A derecho, a straight-line wind storm, that spawned 32 tornadoes on July 15 broke the Chicago-area record for most tornadoes in a single day. On top of that, Hurricane Beryl became the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic Ocean, forming on July 1.

Altogether, the US saw four new billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in July, bringing the year-to-date total to 19 such events that have resulted in at least 149 fatalities and over $49.6 billion in damages, said the report.

NOAA is a US scientific and regulatory agency charged with forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, charting the seas, conducting deep-sea exploration, and managing fishing and protection of marine mammals and endangered species in the US exclusive economic zone.