NOAA: July Was the Hottest Month Ever Documented in the U.S.

New data reveals July was the hottest month ever documented in the United States since records began in 1895, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. So far this summer, intense heat domes swept across the East Coast, the Plains and the Southwest, triggering massive wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. Lake Mead has plummeted to historic low water levels as the Colorado River struggles to sustain the West, while in Puerto Rico, hundreds of thousands of people are going without running water for 48 hours at a time as authorities impose rotating water shutoffs to combat severe drought. In France, nearly 70% of the country is under water-use restrictions as successive heat waves intensify the crisis, with two-thirds of groundwater reserves falling below normal levels. Another heat wave is expected this week. Meanwhile, in England, three-quarters of the nation has entered drought status, placing 27 million people under water-use restrictions as a fifth heat wave looms. www.democracynow.org