July marked warmest month on record for contiguous US: NOAA

July was the warmest month ever recorded in the contiguous United States, surpassing previous record-setting temperatures from 1936 and 2012, a federal agency announced Monday.

"July 2026 averaged 76.9F (24.9C), the warmest month on record (1895–present) for the contiguous United States (CONUS),” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.

Temperatures across the lower 48 states and the District of Columbia averaged 1.8C (3.3F) above the 20th-century mean, with every state ranking in the warmest third of their historical records.

Nighttime provided little relief, as average low temperatures reached 17.9C (64.2F), making it the warmest month for average minimums.

While the country was generally dry, ranking in the driest third of the 132-year record with 6.5 centimeters (2.55 inches) of rainfall, extreme weather events persisted.

Major flash flooding struck the Texas Hill Country and eastern New York during the month.

In contrast, Alaska recorded its coldest July since 2008, while Hawaii maintained its wettest year-to-date on record with nearly 1.5 meters (59 inches) of rain since January, 173.9% of normal.

Drought conditions covered 48.5% of the contiguous US, an increase of 0.7% since June.

In Puerto Rico, more than one-third of the island faced severe drought or worse.

The agency warned that wildland fire potential remains above normal for August across the Northwest, Great Basin, central Rockies, the Lower Mississippi Valley, southern Florida and Puerto Rico.

Forecasters expect above-average heat to persist through August across the central and southern US.