Warming U.S. Cities Face Higher Cooling Demand and Energy Bills

July 2026 was tied for the warmest July on record globally and was the all-time warmest July for the contiguous U.S. This extreme heat, driven by human-caused climate change and a strengthening El Niño, has led to a significant increase in cooling degree days—a proxy for energy demand—across most major U.S. cities. The report also details widespread drought affecting at least 70% of the contiguous U.S. and record-low sea-ice extents in both the Arctic and Antarctic.

• July 2026 tied with 2024 as the warmest July on record globally for combined land and ocean temperatures, with the Northern Hemisphere experiencing its warmest July on record.
• The contiguous U.S. experienced its all-time warmest July on record in 2026, surpassing a previous record from 1936. The Southwest and West regions saw their warmest start to the year on record.
• Cooling demand, measured in cooling degree days, has increased since 1970 in 97% of analyzed major U.S. cities. For the contiguous U.S., July 2026 tied for the sixth-highest count of cooling degree days on record.
• As of August 13, 2026, at least 70% of the contiguous U.S. faced abnormally dry or drought conditions, with 45 states reporting moderate or worse drought.
• A strengthening El Niño is contributing to record temperatures, with a 69% chance of it becoming a record-breaking strong event. Global temperature anomalies are projected to peak around February 2027 at approximately 1.7°C above the 1850-1900 baseline.
• Human-caused climate change is identified as a key driver of summertime warming trends in 91% of analyzed U.S. cities. In July 2026, 185 of 192 analyzed U.S. cities showed warming since 1970.
• Other climate indicators for July 2026 include a carbon dioxide level of 429.1 ppm at Mauna Loa, and sea-ice extents that ranked sixth-lowest in the Arctic and fifth-lowest in the Antarctic.

APA

Climate Central (2026). Warming U.S. Cities Face Higher Cooling Demand and Energy Bills. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-briefings/july-2026

Chicago

Climate Central. Warming U.S. Cities Face Higher Cooling Demand and Energy Bills. 2026. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-briefings/july-2026.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Warming U.S. Cities Face Higher Cooling Demand and Energy Bills |date=August 2026 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-briefings/july-2026 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2026warming, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Warming U.S. Cities Face Higher Cooling Demand and Energy Bills}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2026}, month = aug, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-briefings/july-2026}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }