2026 Marks Hottest Summer on Record for U.S. and Western Europe
The summer of 2026 has officially been declared the hottest on record globally, tying with 2024 for the June-August period, according to Copernicus, the European Union’s climate monitoring entity. NOAA confirmed that August 2026 was the hottest month on record for the contiguous United States, with a mean temperature of 75.6°F (24.2°C), exceeding the 20th-century average by 3.5°F (1.9°C). Drought conditions worsened across the southern U.S., the Northwest, and Upper Midwest, with southwest Minnesota and northeast South Dakota experiencing their driest August on record. Meanwhile, northern Illinois and the Upper Ohio Valley saw their wettest August due to severe thunderstorms and flooding. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands also faced severe drought, with San Juan recording its driest summer ever. Western Europe, including England, France, and Italy, experienced its warmest summer on record, while global sea surface temperatures reached unprecedented levels.