United States Climate
Key States: California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Alaska
This month in numbers
April 2026 saw the United States record its 3rd warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 12.66°C, a significant 2°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. The past three months (February–April 2026) were the warmest on record for average temperature, reaching 9.26°C, and also the warmest on record for maximum temperature, at 16.35°C. In stark contrast, precipitation for the February–April period was the 2nd lowest on record, at just 50.21 mm, a deficit of 10 mm compared to the baseline.
What changed
The exceptionally warm and dry conditions over the past three months stand out, particularly when compared to the national and global picture. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April for land temperatures on record. The United States' 3-month average temperature anomaly of +3.6°C is considerably higher than the North American group average of +1.42°C, making it the warmest in its group for the month. This period of warmth and dryness has exacerbated drought conditions across much of the country, with over 60% of the lower 48 states experiencing moderate drought or worse as of May 2026.
What’s driving change?
The persistent warmth and lack of precipitation are significant. The ongoing drought, which has been impacting regions like the Lower Mississippi since August 2025, has intensified over the winter and early spring, contributing to increased fire risk. Indeed, there have been three wildfire events in the past month, representing 100% of the annual total, an unusual concentration. Similarly, two drought events have been logged, also representing 100% of the annual total, indicating a significant and ongoing dry spell. The current ENSO state is Neutral, but the forecast indicates a strong likelihood of El Niño developing in the coming months, with an 82% chance for May-Jul and increasing to 98% by Aug-Oct. El Niño typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada, and warmer, drier conditions to the Southeast USA, which could further exacerbate existing drought concerns in some regions. You can track the latest on extreme weather at Extreme Weather tracker and ENSO at ENSO tracker.
Looking ahead
The NOAA CPC 3-month outlook suggests that drought conditions are likely to persist in southeastern Louisiana and portions of eastern Mississippi through August, though some improvement is anticipated for most of the Lower Mississippi states.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for United States
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.
Country-level temperature anomaly, sourced from Copernicus ERA5 and Hadley HadCRUT5.
Contiguous-US national temperature and precipitation series.
Annual country and global CO₂ emissions, from the Global Carbon Project.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in United States changing?
United States 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 trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for United States come from?
Climate data for United States comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), 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 United States climate data cover?
The United States climate profile covers California, Texas, Florida, New York and surrounding areas. The world's second-largest emitter and energy transition leader
How often is the United States climate update refreshed?
The United States 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.