Assessing the U.S. Climate in 2022: Drought Sets Records Across the Contiguous U.S. in 2022

Excerpt:  “Key Points: 1) The average annual temperature of the contiguous U.S. was 53.4°F, which is 1.4°F above average, ranking in the warmest third of the record; 2) Annual precipitation for the contiguous U.S. was 28.35 inches, 1.59 inches below average, ranking in the driest third of the historical record; and 3) There were 18 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disaster events identified during 2022 — the third-highest disaster count and the third-costliest year in the 43-year record.”

News Release