July 2026 was hottest month on record for contiguous U.S.
July 2026 was the hottest month ever recorded in the contiguous United States, with above-average temperatures across all 48 states, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The average temperature reached 76.9°F.
NOAA said in a report on Monday that the temperature was 3.3°F above the 20th-century average. It was between 0.1°F and 0.2°F warmer than July 1936 and July 2012, making it both the hottest July and the hottest month since records began in 1895.
Every state in the contiguous U.S. was at least 1°F above its 20th-century average, and 13 states recorded one of their five hottest Julys. Much of the interior West, Southwest, Rockies, northern Plains and Upper Midwest experienced temperatures that were far above average, along with parts of the Gulf Coast and Southeast.
Wyoming recorded its hottest July and hottest month on record, with the statewide average running 5.1°F above normal. It was 0.9°F warmer than the previous record set in July 2007.
Daytime high temperatures across the contiguous U.S. averaged 89.5°F, which was 2.9°F above normal and the sixth-highest average on record. Overnight temperatures averaged 64.2°F, the highest on record and 0.7°F above the previous record set in July 2022.
Alaska recorded its coldest July since 2008, with an average temperature of 51.8°F, which was 0.9°F below normal. The state also received above-average precipitation, with Anchorage tying its record for the wettest July.
Precipitation across the contiguous U.S. averaged 2.55 inches, which was 0.23 inch below normal and ranked in the driest third of the 132-year record.
Rainfall varied widely across the country, with parts of the northern Rockies, northern Plains, Upper Midwest, Northeast and Southeast receiving below-average precipitation. Other areas experienced heavy rainfall, including major flash flooding in the Texas Hill Country and eastern New York.
About 48.5% of the contiguous U.S. was experiencing drought as of August 4, an increase of 0.7 percentage points since the end of June. Drought persisted across much of the interior West, Southwest and Rockies while expanding or intensifying in parts of the Northwest, Plains, Upper Midwest and far Northeast.
Above-average temperatures are favored across the central and southern parts of the contiguous U.S. in August.
Drought is expected to persist or expand across parts of the Northwest, Plains and Upper Midwest, while the potential for significant wildfires is above normal across several regions, including the Northwest, Great Basin, central Rockies, southern Florida and Puerto Rico.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
