WASHINGTON - July 2026 marked the hottest month on record for the contiguous United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said, continuing a recent trend driven by human-caused climate change. The average temperature for the month in the 48 states, excluding Alaska, Hawaii and overseas territories, was 76.9F (24.9C), making it the warmest July -- and the warmest month of any kind -- in the agency's 132-year record. That was 3.3F above the 20th-century average and breaks the previous record for the hottest month, July 1936, which was 76.8F. Wyoming saw its warmest July and warmest month on record, with temperatures 5.1F above average and 0.9F warmer than its previous July record, in 2007. As a result, scientists expect 2027 to become the warmest year on record globally, while 2026 is expected to become the second-warmest.