[The continental United States experiences the hottest summer since meteorological records began] On September 10, the National Centers for Environmental Information, a subsidiary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, released a report on the 9th saying that the summer of 2026 will be the hottest summer in the continental United States since relevant meteorological records began. Average temperatures in the continental United States this summer and in August were the highest on record. According to the report, the average temperature in the continental United States in the summer of 2026 will be about 23.6 degrees Celsius, which is about 1.7 degrees Celsius higher than the 20th century average and about 0.2 degrees Celsius higher than the previous record. August 2026 was the hottest August on record in the continental United States, with an average temperature of about 24.2 degrees Celsius, about 1.9 degrees Celsius higher than the 20th century average. The average daily maximum temperature in August reached about 31.4 degrees Celsius, also the highest on record.