The United States has recorded its hottest summer ever, as intense heat and drought affected broad areas of the country.

Between June and August, the average temperature across the contiguous United States reached 23.6 degrees Celsius (74.4 degrees Fahrenheit), according to figures released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday.

The seasonal average was 1.7C (3F) above the 20th-century norm and 0.2C (0.4F) warmer than the former record, which had been shared by 1936 and 2021.

Across NOAA’s 132 years of weather observations, no US summer has been warmer.

August also set a new national record, posting an average temperature of 24.2C (75.6F).

Exceptional heat has become more frequent in recent years. NOAA said four of the country’s five warmest summers have happened during the past five years, reflecting a long-term warming pattern linked mainly to fossil fuel emissions.

By contrast, the previous 1936 benchmark occurred during the Dust Bowl era, when severe heat and drought coincided with harmful agricultural practices throughout the Great Plains.

This year’s high temperatures were accompanied by worsening dryness in many parts of the nation.

As of September 1, drought covered about 59 percent of the contiguous United States, an increase of more than 10 percentage points over one month. Conditions deteriorated in portions of the Great Plains, Midwest and South, while Texas and Oklahoma received under 30 percent of their typical August rainfall.

Not every area was dry, however. States including Indiana and Ohio experienced their wettest August on record, with rainfall totals close to twice their usual amounts.

The unusual warmth could continue in the months ahead. The World Meteorological Organization, a United Nations body, said the strengthening El Nino pattern could rank among the most powerful ever observed and may continue into early 2027.

“If this trend continues, it could exceed anything we have seen since monitoring began — beyond the range of the charts used over the last four decades,” WMO chief Celeste Saulo told reporters recently.

El Nino is a naturally occurring climate cycle, but researchers say it can raise worldwide temperatures further on a planet already heated by fossil fuel use. The WMO has cautioned that the current event may lead to more severe heat, drought and flooding in different regions of the world.

For the United States, NOAA forecasts above-normal temperatures across much of the country in September. Drought may remain in place or intensify in several locations, while parts of the Northwest, Midwest and South could face an elevated threat of major wildfires.