July 2026 Was the Hottest Month Ever Recorded in the US

The US just experienced its warmest month in 132 years of record-keeping. Government scientists found July 2026 averaged 76.9°F nationwide — 3.3°F above the usual 20th-century mark. That beats records from the 1930s Dust Bowl and 2012. Every state in the lower 48 landed among its own hottest Julys on the books, pointing to a pattern with no regional escape hatch.