News
Heat and high water: Floods pockmarked southern U.S. states during one of the hottest Octobers on record
Yale Climate Connections · By Bob Henson ·
The Brief
- October 2026 was the fourth warmest October in 132 years of recordkeeping for the contiguous 48 U.S. states, according to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction.
- The report came after July, August and September, plus March, were all reported as warm months, so the cooldown was described as microscopic at best.
- Floods affected several southern U.S. states during the month.
Why it matters
The report adds to a run of warm months in 2026 and links the heat to flooding in the southern U.S., which matters for anyone tracking regional climate and flood risk.
Who’s affected
- climate scientists and meteorologists
- emergency managers and residents in flood-affected southern U.S. states
- #climate
- #weather
- #flooding
- #heat
- #united states
- #noaa
October 2026 was the fourth warmest in 132 years of recordkeeping for the contiguous 48 U.S. states, NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction reported on Monday. This was a microscopic cooldown at best in the wake of July, August, and September (plus March) all having…
Timeline
NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction reported that October 2026 was the fourth warmest in 132 years of recordkeeping for the contiguous 48 U.S. states
Yale Climate Connections
Heat and high water: Floods pockmarked southern U.S. states during one of the hottest Octobers on record