Scientists say unusually warm nights helped drive the record heat and are consistent with human-caused climate change. Excluding Alaska and Hawaii, the U.S. averaged 76.89 degrees Fahrenheit, eclipsing the Dust Bowl’s July 1936 record by an eighth of a degree. If we’re exceeding records from The Dust Bowl, that says that we’re in deep trouble." Humans are causing this recent heat waveDig deeper:The heat in the Dust Bowl years was more concentrated in parts of the Midwest and was aggravated by agricultural practices at the time, Vose said. Through July, 2026 is a shade cooler than 2021, which was powered by record heat in June.