US Endures Hottest Summer on Record, NOAA Says

The contiguous United States endured its hottest summer on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which announced this week that the June-through-August period averaged 74.4 degrees Fahrenheit across the Lower 48 states. That figure surpasses the previous record, a tie held by 1936 and 2021, by 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit, a relatively large margin for an all-time seasonal temperature record. The summer of 1936, set during the Dust Bowl era, had long been regarded as the benchmark for extreme American heat. NOAA said four of the five hottest summers on record have now occurred within the past five years, with 2022 and 2024 taking fourth and fifth place. August 2026 was also the warmest August in the 132-year record, with an average temperature of 75.6 degrees Fahrenheit and an average daytime high of 88.6 degrees, both records. July was previously announced by NOAA as the hottest month of any month on record in the United States. Globally, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that August tied with July 2023 as the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, with global temperatures exceeding 1.