U.S. Map Shows What 2,284 Record-High Temps in June Looks Like

Many areas in the United States experienced a heat wave so extreme in June that it created a storm with hurricane-force winds in the D.C. metro area and even buckled pavement in Wisconsin. June was a month where more than 2,200 record high temperatures were set.

The National Climate Data Center has pinpointed all 2,284 of these areas that experienced record-setting temperatures on a map -- and when zoomed in to a certain point, it covers nearly the whole of the United States. In addition, 998 record highs were tied.

With 23,283 record high daily temperatures set thus far, 2012 has already surpassed 2011 during the same time period by 71 percent, according to NPR.

The records broken and tied according to the National Climate Data Center are out of 171,442 possible records.

To the relief of many, the U.S. can expect reprieve this week from the stifling heat that has blanketed much of the country as temperatures begin approaching normal from the Midwest to the East Coast.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Andrew Orrison said Sunday that a cold front will move through the South and the mid-Atlantic bringing thunderstorms and showers.

He said temperatures there will drop to a more normal range: mid- to upper-80s. Residents of the Southeast and Tennessee Valley will experience temperatures in the low 90s — "still fairly warm," Orrison said, but not as hot as it had been.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

(H/T: io9)