The Year in Heat: World on Track for Third-Hottest on Record - Bloomberg

The Year in Heat: World on Track for Third-Hottest on Record - Bloomberg: "The global heat map of 2014 has been marked by significant variation in temperatures, particularly in the U.S., where the eastern half of the country has been unusually cool while the western states bake. California has had its hottest year on record, by far, and is in its third year of drought. A few highlights from July’s extremes around the world:

Drought conditions worsened across the U.S. West, with 58 percent of California suffering exceptional drought. At the same time, Indiana and Arkansas had their coolest July on record.
Every state and territory in Australia was hotter than normal for the month. It’s also been unusually dry for most of the country; Queensland fell 86 percent short of its average rainfall.
Across the continent of Africa, mean temperatures were much warmer than average. Countries in the West broke historic heat records.
Records were also broken in Scandinavia. Norway had its hottest month ever, exceeding the previous hottest month by a full degree Celsius -- a very large departure for a monthly average.
The world is hot, and getting hotter. Here’s how 2014 looks laid out on a world map."



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