NOAA reports United States experiences hottest summer on record
Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show that the June-August period of 2026 was the warmest summer in the United States in 132 years of recordkeeping, surpassing the previous record set in 1936.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released data on Wednesday indicating that the United States experienced its warmest summer in the 132-year period for which temperature records exist. The June-through-August average temperature of 74.4°F was 3°F above the 20th-century average, edging out the previous record tied by 1936 and 2021.
The heat was widespread across the contiguous 48 states, with nighttime lows also running well above normal. August alone recorded an average of 75.6°F, 3.5°F higher than the long-term average. The Southwest saw the most pronounced departures, as Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado each posted their highest summer temperatures on record.
Nationally, 1,541 monthly high-temperature records were set or tied, compared with 87 low-temperature records, highlighting the asymmetry of temperature extremes. NOAA attributes the trend to a combination of a strengthening El Niño pattern in the tropical Pacific and the ongoing influence of long-term climate change, which has raised average summer temperatures by about 0.46°F per decade since 1970.
The record summer adds to concerns about water resources, particularly in the Colorado River basin, which has been strained by prolonged high temperatures.