NOAA confirms 2026 was hottest summer on record for contiguous U.S.
June through August beat 1936 and 2021 by 0.4°F; 293 million Americans endured extreme heat.
What to know
- Summer 2026 was the hottest on record for the contiguous U.S., beating 1936 and 2021 by 0.4°F and running 3°F above the 20th-century average.
- 293 million Americans (86% of population) endured at least 30 days of extreme heat; western states like Colorado experienced temperatures 4.4°F above normal.
- Europe, the fastest-warming continent, suffered heat waves that killed more than 25,000 people; clean air policies inadvertently amplified warming by reducing solar-reflecting particles.
“This meteorological summer, which runs from June through August, was the hottest on record for the contiguous U.S., beating the previous champions of 1936 and 2021 by 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit.”
Matt Simon, Reporter, Grist · Grist ↗ · Sep 15
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Federal agency that confirmed record temperaturesClimate Central Research organization analyzing heat exposureKristina Dahl Vice president for science at Climate Central
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Europe's clean air policies unintentionally amplify climate warming
Analysis reveals Europe is the fastest-warming continent, partly due to proximity to the Arctic but also because reduced atmospheric particulate matter from clean air policies—while benefiting public health—has removed solar reflectivity that once masked climate warming signals. Europe suffered multiple heat waves killing more than 25,000 people in 2026; seven of the top ten most unusually hot countries globally were European.
“As we clean up our industrial processes and we have less aerosols in the atmosphere, which is the case in much of Europe, we're unmasking that climate signal. Europe's experiencing more of the full brunt of climate change because of that.”
— Kristina Dahl, vice president for science at Climate Central -
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The climate crisis is a disability issue. "Europe has been suffering under one heat wave after another, which have killed more than 25,000 people this year... Extreme heat on its own can cause health problems, but it can also exacerbate a lot of underlying health conditions." https:// grist.org/extreme-heat/yes-thi…
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Climate Central releases analysis of summer heat exposure across globe
Climate Central released an analysis showing that 293 million Americans (86 percent of the population) experienced at least 30 days of extreme heat during summer 2026. In Asia, 2.8 billion people faced the same exposure. The average American endured about 26 days with temperatures strongly influenced by climate change, with western states hit hardest: Colorado recorded 4.4°F above normal, followed by Utah and Nevada at 3.8°F each.
“The numbers are just really mind-boggling. Extreme heat on its own can cause health problems, but it can also exacerbate a lot of underlying health conditions.”
— Kristina Dahl, vice president for science at Climate Central -
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# USA # US This meteorological summer, which runs from June through August, was the hottest on record for the contiguous U.S., beating the previous champions of 1936 and 2021 by 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Compared to the average over the 20th century, this summer was 3 degrees hotter, with August specifically climbing even higher at 3.5 degrees…
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NOAA confirms summer 2026 hottest on record for U.S. — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed that this meteorological summer (June through August) was the hottest on record for the contiguous U.S., beating previous records from 1936 and 2021 by 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit, and 3 degrees above the 20th-century average.
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first by Mastodon, 7d ago · also Grist