The summer of 2026 was the hottest on record across the contiguous United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In a Sept. 9 report, NOAA said the average temperature during meteorological summer, which spans June through August, reached 74.4 degrees. That was three degrees above the 20th-century average and surpassed the previous records set in 1936 and 2021.
August also set a new benchmark as the hottestAugust in records dating back to 1895.
The nationwide average temperature for the month was 75.6 degrees, or 3.5 degrees above the 20th-century average. Average daytime highs climbed to 88.6 degrees, marking the warmest August maximum temperatures on record.
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Meteorological
summer encompasses the three warmest months of the year (June, July and August), while astronomical summer ends on the autumnal equinox Sept. 22.
In Middle Tennessee, Nashville broke four high temperature records from July through September, according to the National Weather Service. Here's what else to know.
How hot was summer 2026 in the United States?
The average temperature for June-August was 74.4 degrees, which was three degrees above average.
Overall, NOAA said that summer saw widespread above-average temperatures across nearly the entire country. In addition, much-above-average nighttime minimum temperatures spanned most of the continental United States.
The heat dome that scorched much of the eastern United States during the July 4 holiday was probably the most newsworthy heat wave of the summer because it impacted the highly populated East Coast and Midwest,USA TODAYreported.
The heat dome brought temperatures above 100 degrees in many locations and dangerous heat indices exceeding 110 degrees in some areas.
How hot did Nashville get during summer 2026?
The hottest temperature of the season was 101 degrees on July 3, one of four daily records the city set between July and September. Additional record highs were tied or broken on Sept. 15, Sept. 18 and Sept. 19, when temperatures again reached 100 degrees.
The high so far at Nashville is 100°, which sets a new record for 9/19. The previous record of 97° was set in 1954. This is the 6th daily record high we've tied or broken this month, including the last 5 in a row. We are up to six 100° days this month. The record for Sept. is 7.
— NWS Nashville (@NWSNashville) September 19, 2026
The city also saw an extended stretch of unusually hot weather late in the season.
Beginning Aug. 27, Nashville recorded at least 25 consecutive days with temperatures above the normal high for that date, a streak that was expected to reach 27 days.
According to the weather service, comparing the 2026 heat wave with past heat waves is challenging because climate "normals" are updated every 10 years using the most recent 30 years of data.
When will Nashville cool down?
According to thelatest forecast from the weather service, Sept. 21 was expected to be the last day of "well above-normal temperatures" across the Nashville area.
A cooler pattern was forecast to arrive Sept. 22, bringing more seasonable temperatures and low to medium chances for showers and thunderstorms, particularly across the Cumberland Plateau, through Sept. 24.
From Sept. 22 through Sept. 27, daytime highs in Nashville are expected to remain in the mid-80s, while overnight lows are expected to fall into the low to mid-60s. Temperatures are expected to dip as low as 57 on the night of Sept. 25.
Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: First day of fall arrives after record-breaking Nashville summer. Will it cool down?
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