July’s record heat is the latest sign of a hotter US climate
Record heat keeps rewriting history as a hotter "new normal" takes hold with average temperatures rising about .5 degrees per decade in the U.S.
July was officially the hottest month ever recorded in the Lower 48, breaking a record that had stood since the Dust Bowl.
Americans faced a series of powerful heat domes in July that sent temperatures soaring and records tumbling, ultimately pushing the Lower 48 past a benchmark that had stood since the historic Dust Bowl era.
NOAA’s assessment of temperature and precipitation for July 2026 found that the contiguous United States averaged 76.9 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the warmest month since record-keeping began in 1895.
The average temperature was 0.1-0.2 degrees higher than July 1936 and July 2012, the previous benchmarks. NOAA also found that overnight temperatures across the Lower 48 were the highest on record for any month, averaging 64.2 degrees.
The KC Fire Department creates a giant mister to help keep fans cool in the extreme heat before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between Colombia and Ghana on July 3, 2026 at Kansas City Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
This record tops the July 1936 Dust Bowl event. AccuWeather experts say these two extreme heat events share a common factor: drought, helping intensify the extreme heat.
“There should be really no surprise that July broke a record,” AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok said. “Low snowpack in the Southwest and mid-Atlantic this past winter led to poor soil conditions into the spring then a lack of replenishing rainfall in these regions through June and early July allowed temperatures to climb even higher than they otherwise would have.”
Record heat reaches nearly the entire Lower 48
July 2026 temperature departures shows most of the CONUS was above or much above normal compared to historical averages. (Image credit: AccuWeather)
Multiple heat domes sent temperatures surging across the U.S. during July.
The first major episode arrived around the Independence Day holiday during the Fourth of July Furnace. Washington, D.C., tied the record for its warmest night in more than 150 years, with the temperature falling no lower than 84 degrees during the extended holiday weekend. Hot nights can be particularly dangerous because the body has to keep working to cool itself, even during sleep.
The temperature in Atlantic City, New Jersey, soared to 106 degrees, tying its all-time record high.
Visitors experiencing excessive heat sit on the ground at the National Mall during Independence Day events honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Another heat dome broiled areas from the Midwest to the East during the second week of July. Billings, Montana, reached a record 111 degrees, while Salt Lake City climbed to 109 degrees.
By late July, the Southwest and interior California were baking beneath yet another heat dome. Phoenix recorded one of its warmest nights since record-keeping began in 1895, with a low temperature of 97 degrees on July 24. The only other time it stayed this hot after the sun had set was on July 19, 2023.
NOAA found above-average temperatures across the entire contiguous U.S. during July. Every state was at least 1 degree above its 20th-century average, and 13 states ranked among their five warmest Julys on record. Wyoming experienced its warmest July and warmest month on record, averaging 6.3 degrees above normal.
The heat came as drought covered about 48.5% of the contiguous U.S. as of Aug. 4, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Drought persisted across much of the interior West, Southwest and Rockies while expanding or intensifying in parts of the Northwest, Plains, Upper Midwest and far Northeast.
Hawaii was also part of the warming trend this July with an average temperature of 69.4 degrees, or 0.6 above its average since 1991.
Alaska was a notable exception to the widespread warmth. The state averaged 51.8 degrees in July, 0.9 degrees below its 1925-2000 average and its coolest July since 2008.
AccuWeather meteorologists say unusually high temperatures are expected to remain a concern through the rest of the summer, with widespread above-average temperatures possible through at least September.
Hot and dry conditions set against a warming trend
April 2025 to March 2025 temperature departures from normal based on historical averages, show morE than half of the U.S. experience temperatures much above average. (Image credit: AccuWeather)
Extreme heat is expected during the peak of summer, but the record set in July comes amid a longer-term warming trend across the United States.
An AccuWeather climate study released in January found that average temperatures in the U.S. have risen about 0.5 degrees per decade over the past 70 years. Over the past 20 years, every calendar month has experienced either its hottest or second-hottest occurrence on record, with 2024 ranking as the hottest year on record.
The U.S. experienced its warmest 12-month period on record between April 2025 and March 2026.
“Record heat remains rare, but it is happening more frequently,” said AccuWeather Expert Meteorologist Alyssa Glenny. “As average temperatures rise, the baseline that these extremes build from is getting warmer. That means it doesn’t take as much for a period of extreme heat to push temperatures into record territory.”
Report a Typo
