Heat sets records in the US: July 2026 breaks all records

July 2026 became the hottest month on record in the United States since national measurements began in 1895, following weeks of intense heat waves that affected virtually the entire continental United States.

The average temperature for July in the 48 contiguous states reached 76.89 degrees Fahrenheit (24.94 °C), according to data from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The figure slightly exceeded the previous record of 76.77 °F set in July 1936, during the Dust Bowl era, according to federal data cited by Associated Press and Axios.

This July's average temperature was approximately 3.3 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average.

The record is particularly significant because July is, climatologically speaking, the hottest month of the year in the continental United States. NOAA puts the historical average for the month at around 73.6 °F.

Above-average heat across the 48 states

The heat was not concentrated in a single region of the country.

All 48 contiguous states recorded temperatures above their historical averages, and none ended July near or below average, according to NOAA data.

The most significant anomalies were concentrated in parts of the Mountain West, the Southwest, the northern Great Plains, and the Southeast.

Wyoming recorded its hottest July on record, with an average temperature approximately 5.1°F above normal, while several other states ended the month among the warmest Julys in their history.

Cities and regions across the country were subjected to successive episodes of extreme temperatures for weeks.

Part of this pattern was associated with persistent high-pressure systems, or "heat domes"—phenomena in which a large area of high pressure traps warm air near the surface for several days and prevents cooler systems from moving in.

July is getting hotter

The 2026 record is part of a trend of rising summer temperatures observed over the past few decades.

An analysis by Climate Central, based on open data from NOAA, found that average July temperatures have risen since 1970 in 94% of the 243 U.S. cities studied.

In the 229 cities where warming was detected, the average increase reached 2.6 °F since 1970.

The largest increases were observed in cities in the Northwest, with an average rise of 4.9 °F; followed by those in the Southwest, at 3.5°F; and those in the Northeast, at 3.1°F.

NOAA itself has also identified a particularly significant difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures.

Since national records began in 1895, average daytime temperatures in July have risen at a rate of approximately 0.83 °F per century, while nighttime temperatures have risen at roughly twice that rate—1.66°F per century.

Exceptionally warm nights can increase the impact of heat waves by preventing homes, cities, and the human body from having prolonged periods of cooling after the day's high temperatures.

From dust bowl records to the heat of 2026

The new record breaks a historic record linked to one of the country's most extreme climate periods.

July 1936, at the height of the Dust Bowl crisis, had stood for decades as the benchmark for extreme heat in the United States.

That era was marked by a combination of extraordinary drought, high temperatures, and agricultural practices that contributed to severe soil degradation on the Great Plains.

According to new NOAA calculations cited by the Associated Press, the July 2026 average of 76.89°F finally surpassed the 1936 record of 76.77 °F.

The current record, however, is part of a broader warming trend.

Climate Central found that summers have warmed since 1970 in 236 of the 243 U.S. cities analyzed, equivalent to 97% of the locations studied. The average increase across those cities also reaches 2.6°F.