July Was Hottest US Month Ever Recorded
July Was Hottest US Month Ever Recorded
The News
The contiguous United States just had its hottest month ever recorded, with July 2026 topping every month since national recordkeeping began in 1895, NOAA said Monday.
The average temperature across the Lower 48 states was 76.9 degrees Fahrenheit (24.94 Celsius), roughly 3.3 degrees above the 20th-century average.
The reading eclipsed the previous benchmarks set during the Dust Bowl's July 1936 and July 2012.
By the Numbers
July averaged 76.89 degrees Fahrenheit nationwide, the highest of any month of any kind in 132 years of records.
Thirteen states logged one of their five warmest Julys on record.
Hotter-than-normal conditions blanketed the Lower 48, with the most excessive heat in the Mountain West, Southwest, Northern Plains and Southeast. Alaska, by contrast, was unusually cool.
More
The record heat came as a rare "super El Niño" pushed ocean surface temperatures to new highs this July, according to the Christian Science Monitor, upending air and ocean temperatures around the globe.
What's Next
NOAA's monthly climate reports will show whether the summer's heat continues into August. Forecasters will be watching how the super El Niño evolves and how it shapes temperatures through the rest of the year.
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