Summer 2026 was the US’s hottest on record: NOAA

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Wednesday announced that this summer was the hottest on record in the U.S.

NOAA found that the average temperature for meteorological summer was 74.4 degrees, 3 degrees above average. August’s average temperature hit 75.6 degrees. Both were the warmest temperatures in the agency’s 132-year record.

Most of the contiguous U.S. experienced above or greatly above average heat last month, with near-average conditions isolated to parts of the northern Plains and the Midwest, according to NOAA. Much of the West, Southwest, southern Rockies, southwestern Plains and southern Florida saw record-breaking warmth.

High heat stretched across much of the Southwest, with new records set in New Mexico, Utah and Colorado, while Arizona tied with its past highest record. Daytime maximum temperatures also broke records as they averaged 88.6 degrees across the country.

Average temperatures in Alaska and Hawaii were both at their third-highest level on record. Alaska’s average was 52.4 degrees, 2.9 degrees above its average. Hawaii hit 70.8 degrees, 1.4 degrees above its average, according to the data.

The U.S. Drought Monitor also found that 59.1 percent of the mainland 48 states and Washington, D.C., were in a drought as of Sept. 1, having increased by 10.5 points since early August.

Drought conditions stretch across portions of the Southwest, Northwest, Rockies and Great Basin, having intensified in the northern Plains and part of the Upper Midwest, southern Plains, lower Mississippi Valley and the Deep South. It also found that more than three-quarters of Puerto Rico was in a drought, with more than 40 percent of the island in an extreme drought.

Temperatures are expected to be above average for much of the country going into September, with the southern and central Plains likely seeing the warmest temperatures. The West, Alaska, Northeast and southern Florida should see above-average precipitation.

Drought risk is also likely to “persist and expand further,” reaching as far as Puerto Rico, according to the data. The Northwest and areas from the Southwest to the central Rockies should see drought conditions decline, NOAA stated.

NOAA is anticipating the possibility of “significant” wildfire potential in the Northwest, the northern Great Basin, part of the Upper Midwest, much of the southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley, parts of southern Florida and Puerto Rico.

NOAA and the National Weather Service (NWS) have seen drastic cuts to their staff since President Trump returned to the White House last year. He has also targeted NOAA’s climate research and the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, with a leaked document from last year indicating that the Trump administration was eyeing eliminating the office and cutting 74 percent of its funding.

The Trump administration proposed zeroing out NOAA’s climate research for fiscal 2026. It has also reorganized NWS and made changes to its forecasting. Tom Fahy, legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization, previously warned The Hill that these changes will impact how forecasters respond to extreme weather.