# Contiguous U.S. Just Had Its Hottest Month Ever, Breaking a Dust Bowl-Era Record

*2026-08-17 14:01 UTC · Science · 1 min read*

> NOAA says July 2026 was the hottest month ever recorded in the contiguous U.S., narrowly surpassing a 90-year-old Dust Bowl-era mark.

The contiguous United States averaged 76.89°F (24.94°C) in July, NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information reported, edging out July 1936 by just 0.125°F to become the hottest month in records dating back to 1895. The previous mark had stood since the peak of the Dust Bowl, 90 years ago.

Unlike the 1930s heat, which was concentrated in the Midwest and worsened by drought and poor farming practices, this record was driven mainly by unusually warm nights. Overnight lows averaged 64.2°F, 3.7 degrees above the 20th-century average and the warmest on record. Every one of the Lower 48 states ran at least 1°F above normal, with the sharpest anomalies across the Mountain West, Southwest, Northern Plains and Southeast.

Climate scientists say the cause this time is different: greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels, not drought. "It's not good when you're breaking records from the Dust Bowl," said meteorologist Jeff Masters of Yale Climate Connections.

## Sources

- [pbs.org](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/contiguous-u-s-broke-its-record-for-hottest-month-ever-in-july-noaa-says)
- [yaleclimateconnections.org](https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/08/the-u-s-just-had-its-hottest-month-in-recorded-history-surpassing-dust-bowl-record/)

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TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/2205-contiguous-u-s-just-had-its-hottest-month-ever-breaking-a-dust-bowl-era-record
Česká verze: https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/2278-kontinentalni-usa-zazily-nejteplejsi-mesic-v-historii-padl-rekord-z-doby