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The contiguous United States experienced its hottest summer on record from June to August 2026

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that the meteorological summer of 2026 was the warmest for the contiguous United States in the 132-year record. The average temperature for the period of June through August was 74.4°F, which was 3.0°F above the 20th-century average. This new record surpassed previous peaks set in 1936 and 2021 by 0.4 degrees. Every state in the lower 48 was hotter than its historic average, with record-breaking warmth occurring across the West, Southwest, southern Rockies, and southern Florida Peninsula. Arizona recorded its warmest summer since records began in 1895. Additionally, August 2026 was the warmest August on record, with an average temperature of 75.6°F. While temperatures were high, precipitation was below average, ranking in the driest third of the record for both August and the summer period. Drought covered nearly 60 percent of the contiguous United States by September 1. Notable water levels reached record lows, including Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which were impacted by a worsening drought in the Colorado River Basin.

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