Climate

The climate of every town: average highs and lows for every day, records, rain and snow, humidity, clouds, wind, frost dates, sunrise and sunset. And how the latest month ranks in the nation, every state and every county since 1895, El Niño and La Niña, and the planet day by day.

The United States in August 2026

NOAA NCEI Climate at a Glance, from the nClimGrid analysis of every station, updated early each month. A rank of 1 is the highest or lowest of all years since 1895.

August 2026 in the contiguous United States: 75.6°F (+2.5 °F against 1991-2020), the warmest in 132 years on record.

August 2026 in the contiguous United States: 2.30 in (-0.38 in against 1991-2020), the 23rd driest in 132 years on record.

January to August 2026 in the contiguous United States: 58.0°F (+2.8 °F against 1991-2020), the warmest in 132 years on record.

January to August 2026 in the contiguous United States: 18.56 in (-2.87 in against 1991-2020), the 13th driest in 132 years on record.

Warmest August
75.6°F in 2026
Coolest August
69.3°F in 1927
Wettest August
3.55 in in 1977
Driest August
1.80 in in 1929

Every year since 1895

Each year's average temperature in the contiguous United States against the 1991-2020 average, in °F, 1895 to 2025.-4-20+2+41900192019401960198020002020NOAA NCEI Climate at a Glance

El Niño and La Niña

NOAA Climate Prediction Center: the ONI, the ENSO diagnostic discussion, and the daily teleconnection indices from the CDAS reanalysis.

CPC's ENSO alert status: El Niño Advisory, issued 10 September 2026.

El Niño is strengthening, with a greater than 90% chance of a very strong event during the Northern Hemisphere fall and winter 2026-27.

Oceanic Niño Index
+1.80°CJJA 2026, El Niño
North Atlantic Oscillation
+0.252026-09-22; 30-day mean -0.06
Arctic Oscillation
+1.042026-09-22; 30-day mean +1.08
Pacific-North American pattern
-1.432026-09-22; 30-day mean -0.57
SeasonYearNiño 3.4, °CAnomalyPhase
JJA202629.09+1.80El Niño
MJJ202629.02+1.39El Niño
AMJ202628.74+0.95El Niño
MAM202628.09+0.46Neutral
FMA202627.34+0.11Neutral
JFM202626.57-0.21Neutral
DJF202626.15-0.39Neutral
NDJ202525.96-0.60La Niña
OND202526.04-0.61La Niña
SON202526.14-0.57La Niña
ASO202526.33-0.43Neutral
JAS202526.70-0.26Neutral

Madden-Julian Oscillation

CPC's ten normalized MJO indices for the pentad of 2026-08-26. Each index is named for the longitude CPC centers it on; CPC charts negative values as enhanced convection there and positive as suppressed.

Center20E70E80E100E120E140E160E120W40W10W
Index+2.54+3.36+2.78+1.92+0.58-1.31-3.00-2.88-1.74+0.10

The Oceanic Niño Index is the three-month mean sea surface temperature departure in the Niño 3.4 region of the equatorial Pacific; +0.5°C or more is El Niño, -0.5°C or less La Niña. The North Atlantic Oscillation, Arctic Oscillation and Pacific-North American pattern are daily standardized pressure patterns: a negative Arctic Oscillation and NAO favor cold outbreaks in the eastern United States in winter.

The world today

Daily global mean 2-meter air temperature from the ERA5 reanalysis, as published by Climate Reanalyzer (Climate Change Institute, University of Maine), CC BY 4.0.

On day 261 of 2026, the global mean surface air temperature was 16.13°C, 0.72°C above the 1991-2020 mean for the date, the 3rd highest for the date in 87 years since 1940.

Global mean surface air temperature each day of 2026, against 2025, the highest of any earlier year and the 1991-2020 mean, in °C.12131415161718JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecClimateReanalyzer.org · ERA5 (Copernicus C3S)
  • 1991-2020 mean
  • Highest before 2026
  • 2025
  • 2026

By state

By country

Sources

Rankings: NOAA NCEI Climate at a Glance, public domain. ENSO and teleconnections: NOAA Climate Prediction Center, public domain. Global temperature: ClimateReanalyzer.org, ERA5 (Copernicus Climate Change Service), CC BY 4.0. Town pages: NOAA 1991-2020 normals, GHCN-Daily and NASA POWER.