United States Climate
Key States: California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Alaska
This month in numbers
March 2026 was exceptionally warm for the United States, ranking as the 1st warmest March in 77 years of records, with an average temperature of 10.47°C, a striking 5°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Maximum temperatures also hit a record high for March, averaging 17.99°C, an anomaly of +6.2°C. This continues a trend, as the January–March 2026 period also ranked as the 1st warmest on record, with an average temperature of 5.24°C, 3.5°C above the baseline. In stark contrast, precipitation was significantly below average, with March 2026 ranking as the 74th driest March on record with just 46.48 mm of rain, 19 mm below the baseline. The first three months of the year were even drier, ranking as the 77th driest January–March period on record, with 40.55 mm of precipitation, 17.5 mm below average.
What changed
The United States experienced its warmest March on record, with an average temperature of 10.47°C, marking a significant +5°C anomaly compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This continues a trend of exceptional warmth, as the January–March 2026 period was also the warmest on record. This regional warming is part of a broader pattern, with the contiguous U.S. experiencing its most abnormally hot month in 132 years of records, and the April 2025–March 2026 period standing as the warmest 12-month span ever recorded for the contiguous U.S.. Ten states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, and Texas, recorded their warmest March on record. In terms of precipitation, March was notably dry, ranking as the 74th driest on record, and the January–March period was the driest on record for the contiguous U.S., receiving less than 70% of average precipitation. This contrasts with the global land temperature, which ranked as the 2nd warmest for both April 2026 and the February–April 2026 period.
What’s driving change?
The exceptional warmth across the United States in March, particularly in the western half, was largely driven by , with a strong, slow-moving high-pressure system trapping hot and dry air over the region. This early-season heatwave brought July-like temperatures to millions, breaking hundreds of high-temperature records. Human-caused climate change is intensifying these extreme heat events, making them more frequent and intense. The persistent dry conditions, with the January–March period being the driest on record for the contiguous U.S., also contributed to , further exacerbating the heat. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C, though there is a strong forecast for El Niño to develop in the coming months, with a 79% probability for June-July-August.
The country also experienced a striking mix of extreme weather events in March. A major and historic blizzard, unofficially named Winter Storm Iona, affected the Upper Midwest and High Plains from March 13–17, bringing 3–4 feet of snow, while an ice storm hit northern Michigan and a severe weather outbreak with damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes impacted the Lower Mississippi Valley and Southeastern United States. Additionally, wildfires were active, with the Morrill fire in Nebraska burning over 640,000 acres within a week, becoming the largest wildfire in the state's history. As of March 31, 2026, 1,615,683 acres had burned nationally, 231% of the previous ten-year average, with 16,746 wildfires reported, indicating an unusually active start to the wildfire season. There are currently 2 active drought events and 1 flood event in the United States, representing 100% of the annual total for both types of events, an unusual concentration for this time of year. More information on these events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
With a strong probability of El Niño developing in the coming months, the typical teleconnections for the United States suggest potential impacts such as a warmer, drier winter for the Pacific Northwest and Southeast USA, and a wetter winter for the Southwest USA, which could help replenish reservoirs and snowpack.
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.