U.S. Records Its Hottest Month on Record

July brought extreme weather across much of the United States, with widespread heat and drought affecting communities nationwide. By the end of the month, about 40% of the U.S. and Puerto Rico was experiencing drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, which monitors conditions and publishes weekly updates.

Although drought covered large portions of the country, several areas also faced intense rainfall and damaging flash floods. From July 13 to 17, powerful storms swept across the Texas Hill Country, producing more than 28 inches of rain near Knippa in Uvalde County, according to NOAA. Later, between July 28 and 30, slow-moving thunderstorms dropped nearly 12 inches of rain across eastern New York, triggering major flash flooding.

July is typically among the hottest months of the year, and this year was no exception. NOAA reported that July ranked among the five warmest on record for 13 states. Wyoming recorded its hottest July—and its hottest month ever—with average temperatures 5.1 degrees above normal.

Heat waves affected nearly every region of the country, including the West, Southwest, Rocky Mountains, northern Plains, Upper Midwest, mid-Atlantic, Gulf Coast and Southeast. On July 12, multiple locations in Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Montana set all-time high temperature records, NOAA said. Temperatures reached 109 degrees in Salt Lake City, 109 degrees in Sheridan, Wyoming, 111 degrees in Billings, Montana, and 115 degrees in Miles City, Montana.

Large wildfires also spread across the Pacific Northwest during July and continued into August. More than 140,000 acres burned in Oregon, forcing thousands of people to evacuate communities across the central and eastern parts of the state. Severe wildfires also scorched parts of Canada and Europe, while fast-moving fires in Washington state and Oregon destroyed hundreds of structures this month.

The latest NOAA data adds to a growing list of concerning climate findings. A report released Monday by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service found that Western Europe experienced its hottest June-July period on record. The region has endured four severe heat waves since May, with temperatures breaking national records and worsening drought conditions.

The Copernicus report also found that average sea surface temperatures reached their highest July levels on record across extrapolar oceans. These waters lie between 60 degrees south and 60 degrees north and are generally free of seasonal sea ice.

A separate “state of the climate” report published Monday in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society found that 2025 was similarly extreme. Greenhouse gas concentrations, global sea levels and ocean heat content all reached record highs last year.