The US just had its hottest summer on record, beating the Dust Bowl era

The United States just had its hottest summer in 132 years of recordkeeping, soundly beating the summer of 1936 — during the Dust Bowl era — as well as the summer of 2021, according to data released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Previously, those two years had tied for the hottest summer.

The Dust Bowl summer of 1936 has been long been regarded as the benchmark of hottest summers in the US, but has now been equaled or eclipsed twice in the past five years thanks to the influence of human-caused climate change. August 2026 and the June-through-August period both set all-time records, and July was the hottest month of any month on record in the US. The difference between the new and old seasonal records was 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit, which is relatively large for an all-time temperature record.

☀️ Get your local forecast from the CNN Weather app

Summer featured widespread above-average temperatures across the Lower 48 states, with well-above-normal nighttime low temperatures throughout the country — largely driven by a series of powerful heat domes that affected nearly every state besides Alaska and Hawaii.

The average temperature during August in the Lower 48 states was 75.6 degrees Fahrenheit, which was 3.5 degrees above the 20th century average. The average for meteorological summer — from June through August — was 74.4 degrees, which was 3 degrees above average.

Record-breaking heat was especially present across the Southwest, with Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado each setting records for their warmest summer. The searing season only exacerbated the Colorado River water crisis .

⛅ Get CNN Weather in your inbox

The forecast is just the beginning. We’ll send you expert coverage and the stories behind the weather — so you always know more than just the number. Sign up for the newsletter

One sign of how incredibly hot the summer was can be seen in the balance of record highs to record lows. There were a staggering 1,541 record monthly highs set or tied nationally, compared to just 87 monthly record lows set or tied. In a climate that was not rapidly warming, one would expect the ratio of records to be closer to even.

The summer temperature record comes amid a strengthening El Niño in the tropical Pacific, along with the growing effects of long-term climate change. Climate change in particular is leading to more intense, frequent and long-lasting heat waves, while El Niño is further increasing global average temperatures.

According to NOAA data, the months of June through August in the US have warmed by about 0.46 degrees Fahrenheit per decade since 1970.

CNN Lead Meteorologist Brandon Miller contributed reporting.

根据美国国家海洋和大气管理局周三公布的数据，美国刚刚经历了132年来最热的夏季，远远超过了1936年“尘暴”时期以及2021年的夏季。此前，这两个年份并列成为最热夏季。

1936年的“尘暴”夏季长期以来被视为美国最热夏季的标杆，但由于人为造成的气候变化，过去五年中，这一纪录已被追平或超越两次。2026年8月和6月至8月期间的气温均创下历史新高，7月更是成为美国有记录以来最热的月份。新旧季节纪录之间的温差为0.4华氏度，对于历史最高气温纪录而言，这算是相当大的差距。

☀️ 通过 CNN 天气应用程序获取您所在地区的天气预报

今年夏季，美国本土48个州普遍气温高于平均水平，夜间最低气温也远高于正常水平——这主要是由于一系列强烈的热穹造成的，除了阿拉斯加和夏威夷之外，几乎影响了每个州。

美国本土48州8月份的平均气温为华氏75.6度，比20世纪的平均气温高出3.5度。气象学意义上的夏季（6月至8月）的平均气温为华氏74.4度，比平均水平高出3度。

美国西南部地区尤其出现破纪录的高温天气，亚利桑那州、新墨西哥州、犹他州和科罗拉多州均创下有史以来最热夏季的纪录。酷热的夏季加剧了科罗拉多河的水资源危机。

⛅ 在您的收件箱中获取 CNN 天气预报

天气预报只是个开始。我们会为您推送专家报道和天气背后的故事——让您了解的不仅仅是数字。订阅我们的新闻简报。

今年夏天异常炎热的一个迹象是，创纪录高温与创纪录低温的比例非常惊人。全国范围内，当月创下或追平了1541项最高气温纪录，而当月创下或追平的最低气温纪录仅有87项。在气候没有快速变暖的情况下，人们通常会预期高温和低温纪录的比例会更加接近。

夏季气温创下纪录之际，正值热带太平洋厄尔尼诺现象增强，以及长期气候变化的影响日益加剧。气候变化尤其导致热浪更加强烈、频繁和持久，而厄尔尼诺现象则进一步推高了全球平均气温。

根据美国国家海洋和大气管理局 (NOAA) 的数据，自 1970 年以来，美国 6 月至 8 月的气温每十年上升约 0.46 华氏度。

CNN首席气象学家布兰登·米勒也参与了报道。