The US Just Had Its Hottest Summer on Record, Beating the Dust Bowl Era
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Wednesday that the United States experienced its warmest summer in 132 years of recordkeeping, with average temperatures reaching 74.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
- This summer's average temperature surpassed previous records set in 1936 and 2021 by 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit, continuing a trend where four of the hottest summers occurred within the past five years.
- Nationally, 1,541 record monthly highs were set or tied, while average August temperatures reached 75.6 degrees Fahrenheit—3.5 degrees above the 20th century average.
- Powerful heat domes affected nearly every state besides Alaska and Hawaii, driving record-breaking temperatures across the Southwest; Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado each set summer records.
- Human-Caused climate change alongside a strengthening El Niño pattern is intensifying heat waves and increasing global temperatures, with U.S. summer months warming about 0.46 degrees Fahrenheit per decade since 1970.
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20 Articles
Most of the United States this year experienced temperatures above average or well above average by August, while near-normal conditions were only observed in areas of the northern and Middle plains.
The United States lived its hottest summer in 132 years driven by climate change and the El Niño phenomenon.
Radio France Internationale
US had warmest summer on record: climate agency
Average temperature for the meteorological summer, defined as the June-to-August period, was 74.4F (23.6C), exceeding previous records, set in 1936 and 2021, by 0.4F. That means that four of the hottest summers on record occurred within the past five years, with 2022 and 2024 taking fourth and fifth place respectively, with human-caused climate change, due mainly to the burning of fossil fuels, looming large over the trend. The so-called "Dust B…
Summer 2026 is the warmest recorded by the United States since the beginning of weather surveys This year, the United States experienced its warmest summer in more than 130 years.
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