U.S. Climate Monitoring
National Overview

July 2005

• July temperatures were above average for the nation with much warmer-than-average conditions across much of the Southwest. For information on temperature records during the month, please go to NCDC's Extremes page.
• Precipitation was near average for the nation with conditions wetter than average in the Southeast, and remaining generally drier than average in the High Plains and Rocky Mountains. For more information on drought during July, please visit the U.S. Drought page.

• Indices used to determine the state of ENSO suggest that the Equatorial Pacific was in ENSO neutral conditions during July, having transitioned from a weak warm phase (El Niño) earlier in the year. Sea Surface Temperatures were slightly above normal across the central and western equatorial Pacific during July. To see the latest NOAA advisory and typical impacts of a La Niña or El Niño episode for the U.S., go to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

• July 2005 ranked as the 12th warmest July in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature was 75.8°F (24.3°C), which was 1.5°F (0.8°C) above the long-term mean.
• July 2005 had near average precipitation, nationally, ranking 55th driest.
• May-July temperature was above average and ranked as the 28th warmest such period in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature for May-July was 68.9°F (20.5°C) which was 0.7°F (0.4°C) above the long-term mean.
• May-July had near average precipitation, ranking 54th driest in the last 111 years.
• The August 2004-July 2005 temperature was much above average and ranked as the 11th warmest such period in the 1895 to present record. The preliminary nationally averaged temperature was 53.9°F (12.2°C) which was 1.1°F (0.6°C) above the long-term mean.
• Precipitation was much above average for August-July, ranking 8th wettest for the last 12 months based on a record of 110 such periods.

• July 2005 temperatures ranked much above average for 9 states including Nevada, which had its second warmest July. No state was significantly cooler than average for July 2005.
• Alaska temperatures were above average and ranked 4th warmest on record, with an anomaly of 2.0°F(1.1°C)
• July was wetter than average for many states in the Southeast, while states in the High Plains and Rocky Mountains were drier than average. Two states had much above average precipitation statewide, and 4 states had much less precipitation than the long-term mean.
  
• The 3 month period, May-July, was warmer than average for much of the western two thirds of the nation, while the Southeast was colder than average.
• May-July 2005 was much wetter than average for 6 states. Much of the Southern Plains and Ohio Valley areas were much drier than average.
• August-July 2005 was warmer than average for much of the nation. No state was significantly cooler than average over the last 12 months.
• The last 12 months were much wetter than average for much of the nation, with Nevada and Florida having their wettest August-July on record.

  See NCDC's Monthly Extremes web-page for weather and climate records for the month of July.