Map and headline: Scientific American, 10/2/2026
Jackie Lynn Morgensen reports:
It’s been a blistering year for the U.S. The first eight months of 2026 were the hottest such period ever recorded in the contiguous U.S. since at least 1895. That puts 2026 on track to being among the hottest years the country has ever seen—if not the hottest.
Whether or not this year takes the top slot in that bleak ranking is still unclear. But the outlook isn’t good, climate scientists say.
Right now where 2026 will clock in is a matter of probability. The hottest year the contiguous U.S. has ever recorded was in 2024, at 55.48 degrees Fahrenheit (about 13 degrees Celsius) on average, explains Zeke Hausfather, a climatologist and a lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Seventh Assessment Report.
We’re likely set to break that record, he says: January–August 2026 clocked in at 57.98 degrees F (14.43 degrees C) on average, 0.08 degrees F (about 0.04 degrees C) above the previous record of 57.90 degrees F (14.39 degrees C) for that period, which was set in 2012, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [emphasis added[
Related posts:
October 2026
September 2026
Hot enough for ya? Dallas-Fort Worth metro area sets record for most 100-degree days in September. (9/16)
August 16-31, 2026
Miami residents think so! (8/20)
Oklahoma City residents think so! (8/20)
August 11-15, 2026
United States experiences hottest July ever. (8/11)August 1-10, 2026
July 2026
It's a warming world (scooping water from the Seine edition). (7/19)
Extreme heat kills. (7/18)
May-June 2026
Unprecedented European heat wave. (6/27)
Climate change turned up the heat on Planet Earth (May 2026 worldwide edition). (6/11)
April 2026
If right-wing parties gain control, then Europe will only get hotter (b/w Looney Tunes at the Heartland Institute). (4/30)
2026 Southwest U.S. heat wave joins list of "most astonishing weather events" of 21st century. (4/4)
March 2026
February 2026
January 2026
Climate change as a matter of fact: That's why it's called "extreme weather". (1/29)














