North America Climate – June 2026 Update
Top 5 Countries: United States, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, and Guatemala
Data for Continents is averaged from country snapshots. See Methodology.
This month in numbers
North America experienced a significantly warmer-than-average June 2026, with a 1-month anomaly of +1.62°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. The 3-month anomaly stood at +1.28°C, and the 12-month rolling anomaly was +1.42°C. Globally, June 2026 was the second-warmest June on record, with North America also experiencing its second-warmest June on record.
Hottest & coolest countries
Among the North American nations, Canada () recorded the highest 1-month anomaly at +2.69°C, followed by Jamaica () at +1.55°C and Nicaragua () at +1.51°C. The United States (Usa) was the coolest in the group, though still significantly warmer than average at +1.27°C.
What's driving change?
A severe heatwave struck North America starting in late June 2026, with temperature records tied or broken across numerous cities in the United States and Canada. This extreme heat was partly driven by a heat dome that initially settled over the eastern United States and Canada. The current weak El Niño (ENSO) conditions, with an anomaly of +0.98°C, are also contributing to the increased likelihood of heatwaves and higher temperatures across the continent. Wildfires were also a significant concern, particularly in the western United States, with an uptick in activity in the latter half of June. These critically dry conditions, which set the stage for extreme fire behaviour, are exacerbated by human-caused climate change.
Looking ahead
The strong El Niño conditions are forecast to persist through at least the end of 2026, with a very strong El Niño event expected to develop over the next couple of months, increasing the likelihood of widespread global climate impacts, including warmer temperatures across North America.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – Global
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance (countries & continents) · Met Office (UK) · US states & climate regions. Temperature anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline. See methodology.
Hottest & Coolest in North America this Month
1-month anomaly vs 1961–1990 across the 6 members we cover. Click a name to open its profile.
Warmest
- 1.🇨🇦Canada+2.69°C
- 2.🇯🇲Jamaica+1.55°C
- 3.🇳🇮Nicaragua+1.51°C
- 4.🇨🇷Costa Rica+1.38°C
- 5.🇲🇽Mexico+1.33°C
Coolest
- 1.🇺🇸United States+1.27°C
- 2.🇲🇽Mexico+1.33°C
- 3.🇨🇷Costa Rica+1.38°C
- 4.🇳🇮Nicaragua+1.51°C
- 5.🇯🇲Jamaica+1.55°C
Member Countries
These are the country snapshots aggregated into the North America series.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – North America
4byo continent aggregate · equal-weight mean of 6 country monthly absolute temperatures (OWID/CRU TS).
North America – Monthly Temperature – All Years
4byo continent aggregate · equal-weight mean of 6 country monthly absolute temperatures (OWID/CRU TS).
Records – North America
4byo continent aggregate · equal-weight mean of 6 country monthly absolute temperatures (OWID/CRU TS). - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen Cfb · TemperateNorth America has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±6.4°C) and a wet/dry cycle (5× wet:dry ratio). Both sides of the annual rhythm are shown below.
Monthly rainfall climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: Nov (+31 mm, +27%).
4byo continent aggregate · OWID/CRU TS country monthly temperatures & rainfall. Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Climate Systems
Loading ENSO tracker…
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for North America
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in North America changing?
North America is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for North America come from?
Climate data for North America comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the North America climate data cover?
The North America climate profile covers United States, Canada, Mexico, Cuba and surrounding areas. Aggregated from country snapshots - NOAA does not publish a NA continental series
How often is the North America climate update refreshed?
The North America climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.