U.S. records hottest July ever
Month marked with mixed bag of extreme weather events
The United States recorded its hottest July ever, with a national average temperature of 76.89 degrees – 3.3 degrees above the 20h century national average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
That edged out the previous record set in July 1936 – the Dust Bowl – by an eighth of a degree, said NOAA, whose records date to 1895.
The milestone came amid a month filled with extreme weather events that impacted the U.S., including heat waves, drought, severe storms, flooding and wildfires.
NOAA said every one of the lower 48 states was at least 1 degree warmer than its 20th-century average.
Daytime maximum temperatures averaged 89.5 degrees nationwide, 2.9 degrees above average and ranking July as the sixth-warmest month on record for high temperatures, NOAA said.
The biggest driver of the heat came at night. The country endured record-high nighttime minimum temperatures in July, with average overnight minimums of 64.2 degrees, 3.7 degrees above average.
According to NOAA’s report, July 2026 was not only the warmest July but also the warmest month in the agency’s 132 years of record-keeping.
For much of the country, it was a hot and dry month. At the end of July, around 40% of the U.S. and Puerto Rico was dealing with drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, which tracks conditions nationwide and releases weekly updates.
But several regions encountered heavy rainfall in July. Intense rain fell across the Texas Hill Country from July 13 to 17, producing rainfall totals of more than 28 inches near the town of Knippa, in Uvalde County, according to NOAA.
Later in the month, from July 28 to 30, slow-moving thunderstorms dumped nearly 12 inches of rain over eastern New York, causing major flash flooding.
In Pennsylvania, July produced a mixed bag of severe weather ranging from tornadoes and heavy rainfall that caused flooding, to blistering heat that impacted July 4 festivities.
“July was kind of a roller-coaster month, and it continues to be an active summer regarding severe weather,” said National Weather Service Pittsburgh meteorologist Fred McMullen.
The weather service has issued 323 severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings – including 50 tornado warnings as of Aug. 8, an annual record – which ranks fifth-most since NWS started tracking those statistics in 1986.
So far, the office has recorded 28 tornados, one shy of the annual record of 29 set in 2024.
According to NWS Pittsburgh, the region saw a slightly above average temperature in July (74.9 degrees) fueled by oppressive heat around the July 4 weekend, with a high of 95 degrees recorded in Pittsburgh. Overall rainfall totals were within the realm of normal compared to recent past.
Average low temperatures in the Pittsburgh area last month were the fourth warmest in 155 years.
Dew points — a measure of how much moisture is in the air — were in the 90th percentile of what is typical for July. Consistently high dew points day after day helped trigger thunderstorms with heavy rainfall.
McMullen said above normal temperatures and above average precipitation is expected throughout August.
“In August, usually our grass turns yellow due to dry weather, but with the rain today and the rain expected this month, you’re probably not going to get a break from lawn mowing,” said McMullen.
The NOAA report also noted that several large wildfires broke out in the Pacific Northwest last month, and that will continue into August, as fast-moving blazes this month have destroyed hundreds of structures in Oregon and Washington state. More than 140,000 acres were burned in Oregon in July, prompting thousands of residents to evacuate from mostly small towns across the central and eastern parts of the state.