COURTESY: NCEI/NOAA

JULY 2026 TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPIATION ASSESSMENT

Key Takeaways:

Warmest on record: July 2026 averaged 76.9°F, the warmest month on record (1895–present) for the contiguous United States (CONUS).

Widespread warmth: Above-average temperatures covered the entire CONUS, with all states ranking in the warmest third of their July temperature records and none ranking near or below average.

Dry with regional flooding events: Despite below-average July precipitation for the CONUS as a whole, several regions experienced heavy rainfall, including major flash flooding events in the Texas Hill Country and eastern New York. 

Alaska cool: Alaska had the coldest July average temperature since 2008.

Map of the U.S. notable weather and climate events in July 2026.

Other Highlights:

Temperature

The average temperature for the CONUS in July was 76.9°F, 3.3°F above the 20th-century average. This was the warmest July—and warmest month—in the 132-year record, 0.1–0.2°F warmer than July 1936 and July 2012.

July 2026 U.S. Mean Temperature Percentiles Map.

Daytime maximum temperatures averaged 89.5°F, 2.9°F above average, ranking as the sixth-warmest month on record for average high temperatures, while overnight minimum temperatures averaged 64.2°F, 3.7°F above average, ranking as the warmest month on record for average low temperatures, surpassing July 2022 by 0.7°F.

Above-average temperatures extended across the entire CONUS in July, with much-above-average temperatures observed throughout much of the interior West, Southwest, Rockies, northern Plains and Upper Midwest, as well as parts of the Gulf Coast and Southeast. All CONUS states were at least 1°F above their 20th-century average, with 13 states ranking among their five warmest Julys. Wyoming recorded its warmest July and warmest month on record, with temperatures 5.1°F above average and 0.9°F warmer than its previous July record set in 2007.

Alaska’s average temperature was 51.8°F, 0.9°F below the 1925–2000 average, ranking in the coolest third of the 102-year record. Below-average temperatures were observed across portions of the interior, as well as parts of the Alaska Peninsula and Panhandle.
Hawai’i’s average temperature was 69.4°F, 0.6°F above the 1991–2020 average, ranking in the middle third of the 36-year record. While overnight minimum temperatures were above- to much-above average across the island chain, daytime temperatures were near or below average for the month.

Precipitation

Total precipitation averaged across the CONUS in July was 2.55 inches, 0.23 inch below the 20th-century average, ranking in the driest third of the 132-year record.

July 2026 U.S. Total Precipitation Percentiles.

Precipitation across the CONUS during July reflected a mix of wet and dry conditions. Below-average precipitation occurred across portions of the northern tier, including parts of the northern Rockies, northern Plains, Upper Midwest and Northeast, as well as parts of the southern Plains, Mississippi Valley, Central Gulf and Southeast. In contrast, pockets of above-average precipitation were observed across parts of the West and Southwest, central Plains and Upper Midwest, as well as portions of Texas, the Tennessee and lower Ohio Valleys, Mid-Atlantic and lower Northeast.

Alaska’s average precipitation was 4.30 inches in July, 1.02 inches above the 1925–2000 average, ranking in the wettest third of the 102-year record. Southern and southwestern portions of the state, including the Alaska Peninsula, received above-average to much-above-average precipitation, with Anchorage tying its highest July precipitation total on record. In contrast, portions of the Alaska Panhandle received below-average precipitation.

Hawaiʻi averaged 5.20 inches of precipitation in July, 0.56 inch above the 1991–2020 average, ranking in the wettest third of the 36-year record, despite localized regions that saw below-average totals. The year-to-date statewide precipitation total remained the wettest on record, with a January–July total of nearly five feet (59.82 inches), 25.43 inches above average (173.9% of normal).

Drought

According to the August 4 U.S. Drought Monitor, about 48.5% of the CONUS was in drought, an increase of about 0.7 percentage points since the end of June. Drought persisted over much of the interior West, Southwest and Rockies, and expanded or intensified across parts of the Northwest, southern and northern Plains, Upper Midwest and far Northeast. In contrast, drought contracted or decreased in intensity across portions of the Lower Mississippi Valley, Tennessee Valley and much of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic region. In Puerto Rico, more than two-thirds of the island was in drought, with more than one-third classified as severe drought or worse.