NOAA: July was hottest on record in contiguous U.S.; Mississippi sweltered

July 2026 was the hottest July on record for the contiguous United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday, with a national average temperature of 76.89 degrees. That edged out the previous record set in July 1936 by an eighth of a degree, NOAA said, with records dating to 1895.

NOAA said every one of the Lower 48 states was at least 1 degree warmer than its 20th-century average. Russ Vose, chief of monitoring at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, said the Dust Bowl heat in the 1930s was more concentrated in parts of the Midwest and was worsened by agricultural practices, making July 2026 notable for its broad warmth.

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. Overnight minimums averaged 64.2 degrees, 3.7 degrees above average, making July the warmest month on record for low temperatures and surpassing July 2022.

NOAA said more than half of Mississippi recorded much-above-average temperatures, with the state’s northeastern tip seeing above-average readings. The agency said the state endured sweltering conditions and multiple days when heat index readings climbed above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Rainfall fell short of July averages across most of Mississippi; northeast areas saw above-average precipitation, parts of north-central Mississippi were near average, and the Pine Belt, Gulf Coast and a small pocket of the Delta received much-below-average totals, NOAA said.

NOAA said it remains uncertain whether the summer of 2026 will be the hottest on record; summers of 2021 and 1936 are tied for the warmest on record, with summer defined as June through August. Through July, 2026 is slightly cooler than 2021, which saw record June heat, NOAA said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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