State-by-State Lists Reaffirm Rising Temperatures as U.S. Records Continue
Stacker’s NCEI-based rankings use statewide monthly averages to show historic Octobers within a long-term warming trend that a strengthening El Niño makes more likely to produce further heat extremes.
Overview
- NOAA’s records show the continental United States had its hottest month on record in July 2026, a finding cited across the local republished lists.
- Stacker compiled rankings from National Centers for Environmental Information monthly averages to identify the warmest Octobers in each state since 1895.
- The state lists include statewide average temperatures plus monthly highs, lows, and precipitation and confirm Oregon’s warmest October as October 1988 and Colorado’s as October 1963.
- Climate context in the coverage notes a steady rise of roughly 0.14°F per decade since 1880 and says a strengthening El Niño raises the odds of more near-term heat extremes.
- The articles emphasize that these rankings reflect shifts in average monthly conditions rather than local extreme events and that no revisions to the underlying NOAA/NCEI datasets were reported.