CNN: Weather experts: U.S. summer hottest in past 75 years

For 15 states, the average temperature ranked among their top 10 warmest, while overall, 46 of the lower 48 states saw average to above-average temperatures. Oregon and Washington were the only exceptions.
Texas had the distinction of experiencing the warmest summer on record of any state in America, with an average of 86.8 degrees. Dallas residents sweltered for 40 consecutive days of grueling 100-plus degree temperatures. Oklahoma, at 86.5, also topped the previous record, of 85.2 degrees, set in Oklahoma in 1934, amid what became known as the Dust Bowl....

....Neighboring Southwestern states New Mexico and Oklahoma were also drought-stricken, experiencing their second- and third-driest summers respectively. Conversely, New Jersey and California had their wettest summers ever.
Meteorologists are predicting no immediate end in sight to the heat or drought afflicting the Southern states. NOAA announced Thursday that la nina, a naturally occurring climate phenomenon located over the tropical Pacific Ocean, is expected to strengthen and affect global weather patterns. Scientists attribute the extreme weather around the globe during the first half of 2011 to the weather event, and predict that the drought currently overtaking the states of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma is likely to persist.
The extremely dry plains are a tinderbox for Texas; nearly 180 wildfires have been reported across the state in the past seven days, the Texas Forest Service Texas said. A large wildfire blazing outside Austin has destroyed nearly 1,400 homes and is not near containment.[CNN]