NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information said on Sept. 9 that
summer 2026 was the hottest on record for the contiguous U.S. The summer mean
temperature was about 23.6°C, roughly 1.7°C above the 20th‑century average and
about 0.2°C above the prior record. August 2026 was the hottest August on record
for the contiguous U.S., with a mean temperature near 24.2°C (about 1.9°C above
the 20th‑century average) and an average daily maximum around 31.4°C, also a
record.
