National weather data released on Monday found July was the hottest month on record for the contiguous United States. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found the average temperature across the Lower 48 states was 76.9 degrees in July, approximately 3 degrees higher than the 20th-century average, according to National Centers for Environmental Information data dating back to 1895. The month surpasses July 1936 and July 2012 to become the warmest July and warmest month overall. Above-average temperatures stretched across the contiguous U.S., with every state recording temperatures ranking in the warmest third of their July temperature records. Thirteen states experienced one of their five warmest Julys on record.