July 2026 Was the Hottest Month Ever Recorded in the Contiguous US

NOAA data shows July 2026 averaged 76.9°F across the contiguous US — 3.3°F above the 20th-century baseline — making it the warmest month in 132 years of records. It surpassed July highs set during the 1936 Dust Bowl and in 2012. Every contiguous state ranked in the warmest third of its own July record.