Southern California may have felt like one giant oven this summer, and according to NOAA, that wasn’t merely your imagination.
The agency’s latest climate report found that June through August 2026 was the hottest meteorological summer on record across the contiguous United States, beating the previous record, set in 1936 and tied in 2021, by 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The average summer temperature reached 74.4°F—3.0°F above the 20th-century average.
August was even more remarkable.
NOAA recorded an average temperature of 75.6°F across the contiguous U.S., making it the hottest August on record. Average daytime highs also set a record at 88.6°F. “Both August and summer were the warmest in the 132-year record,” NOAA reported.
California was among the states feeling the heat most intensely. The Golden State recorded its warmest August average temperature on record, while both its average daytime maximum and nighttime minimum temperatures also reached records.
But the heat didn’t exist in isolation.
Related: The Ocean Is Hotter Than It’s Ever Been
California received just 0.20 inches of precipitation during summer—only 26% of its average—and experienced its fifth-driest summer on record. Across the country, drought covered 59.1% of the contiguous U.S. by September 1, an increase of more than 10 percentage points from early August.
That combination of heat and dryness has obvious consequences. NOAA says significant wildland fire potential for September is above average across portions of the Northwest, northern Great Basin and other regions. Meanwhile, drought is expected to persist or expand across several areas of the country.
And the heat may not be finished.
NOAA’s September outlook favors above-average temperatures across much of the country, including the Southwest and Rockies.
Summer may be over on the calendar.
The heat, apparently, didn’t get the memo.
Related: Hurricane Marie Never Made Landfall in California. She Destroyed the Coast Anyway.
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