The contiguous United States just experienced its warmest summer on record, according to data released this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

NOAA stated that the average temperature for meteorological summer, spanning June through August, reached 74.4 degrees Fahrenheit across the Lower 48 states and the District of Columbia. That figure topped the previous records from 1936 and 2021 by 0.4 degrees and stood 3 degrees above the 20th-century average. The records extend back 132 years.

August alone set its own mark with an average temperature of 75.6 degrees, also the highest in the agency's data. Daytime maximum temperatures averaged 88.6 degrees nationwide, another record.

Record warmth covered much of the West, Southwest, southern Rockies, southwestern Plains, and southern Florida. California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado each posted their warmest August temperatures on record. Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico set state records for the full summer average, while Arizona tied its previous high.

Drought conditions worsened alongside the heat. The U.S. Drought Monitor showed 59.1 percent of the contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., in drought as of September 1, an increase of 10.5 percentage points since early August.

Alaska and Hawaii recorded their third-highest summer averages on record. The heat came amid broader patterns that have produced four of the five hottest U.S. summers in the past five years.