U.S. summer of 2026 sets new temperature record, NOAA reports

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the June-August period of 2026 was the warmest in the 132-year record for the contiguous United States, surpassing the previous highs set in 1936 and 2021 by 0.4°F. The average temperature for the three-month period was 74.4°F, 3.0°F above the historical average.

NOAA noted that above-average temperatures were observed across most of the lower 48 states, with nighttime minimums also remaining unusually high. A heat dome over the eastern United States during the July 4 holiday produced temperatures above 100°F and heat indices exceeding 110°F in several locations, prompting cancellations of outdoor events in parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic.

July also saw extreme heat in Montana, where temperatures reached 116°F, and in the Southwest and Rocky Mountain region, where more than 1,000 daily heat records were broken. The month’s average temperature of 76.9°F was 3.3°F above the 20th-century average, making July the warmest month on record.

Four states—Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico—recorded their highest average summer temperatures, according to a separate analysis. Every state in the lower 48 experienced a summer hotter than its historical average, with increases ranging from 0.6°F in Indiana to 5.4°F in Utah. Seventeen states also tied or set new records for average minimum temperatures over the season.

"The average temperature for meteorological summer (June–August) 2026 was the warmest for the contiguous United States in the 132-year record, exceeding the previous records, set in 1936 and 2021, by 0.4 degrees," NOAA said in a statement.