July 2026 officially became the hottest month on record for the contiguous United States, surpassing a record set during the Dust Bowl era, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The average temperature across the lower 48 states was 76.9 degrees Fahrenheit. This figure is 3.3 degrees above the 20th-century average and 0.8 degrees warmer than the previous July record set in 1936.
While Alaska experienced cooler-than-average temperatures, the extreme heat significantly impacted large regions including the Mountain West, Southwest, Northern Plains, and Southeast. Several areas in the Mid-Atlantic, such as Raleigh, North Carolina, Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., recorded their hottest Fourth of July.
Despite below-average precipitation in many areas, July also saw torrential rainfall and significant flash flooding events in parts of the country. For example, eastern New York received 12 inches of rain last month.
The intense heat of July 2026 eclipsed the previous record set in July 1936, a year associated with the Dust Bowl. That year was tied with 2021 for the hottest summer on record in the U.S. from June through August. Scientists attribute the modern record heat to the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and gas.
"Extremely high temperatures across the continental US this summer, along with intense drought and fire conditions, are absolutely consistent with the climate change signal," said Katharine Jacobs, a climate scientist at the University of Arizona.
Experts note the importance of nighttime temperatures in determining overall heat stress. "If it doesn’t cool off at night, your body doesn’t have time to readjust to all the heat," stated one climate scientist.