Maps and Graphics:


July Most Recent 3 Months Most Recent 6 Months
Most Recent 12 Months Year-to-Date US Percent Area Very Wet/Dry/Warm/Cold
Annual Summary for 2006

PLEASE NOTE: All temperature and precipitation ranks and values are based on preliminary data.  The ranks will change when the final data are processed, but will not be replaced on these pages.  Once available, graphics based on final data will be provided on the Climate Monitoring Products page.


For graphics covering periods other than those mentioned above or for tables of national, regional, and statewide data from 1895—present, for July, last 3 months or other periods, please go to the Climate At A Glance page.

National Overview:


July Temperature Highlights
  • For the contiguous United States, July 2007 was the 15th warmest July since records began in 1895. The monthly mean temperature was 1.4°F (0.8°C) above the 20th century average of 74.3°F (23.5°C).

  • However, the persistent atmospheric pattern that brought cooler than average temperatures to the East contributed to record and near-record warmth in the West. The warmest July since statewide records began in 1895 occurred in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. Nevada had its second warmest July and Arizona and Utah their third warmest Julys on record. Alaska was 1.2°F (0.7°C) warmer than the 1971—2000 mean in July.

  • There were 11 days of triple digit temperatures in Missoula, Montana in July, almost double the previous record of 6 days for the month. In Boise, Idaho it was the hottest month ever, and the average high temperature for the month was a remarkable 98.6°F (37°C), more than 9°F (5°C) above the monthly average.

  • The cooler-than-average July temperatures in the heavily populated eastern U.S. helped push down residential energy needs for the nation as a whole. Using the Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index (REDTI - an index developed at NOAA to relate energy usage to climate), the nation's residential energy demand was approximately 4 percent lower than what would have occurred under average climate conditions for the month.
July Precipitation Highlights
  • July precipitation was near average for the contiguous U.S. as a whole, but there were sharp contrasts between areas that received above average rainfall and other areas that were drier than average.

  • It was the third wettest July on record in Texas and Louisiana and the second wettest for the region that includes four neighboring states. The Northeast was also wetter than average along with five states in the West (Wyoming, Utah, Washington, Oregon, and California).

  • Drier than average conditions stretched from parts of the mid-Atlantic to the Midwest and Northern Plains. Rainfall was also below average in Montana, Idaho, Nevada, and Arizona.

  • The combination of record warmth and drier than average conditions in the northern Rockies led to rapidly worsening drought conditions and helped give the western wildfire season an early and extremely active start. By early August, more than 5 million acres had burned in the contiguous U.S, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. This continues a pattern of very active wildfire seasons in recent years as the combination of drought and above average temperatures in the West created conditions conducive to wildfires.

  • Drought severity also worsened during the month in parts of the northern Plains, Midwest, and mid-Atlantic. At the end of July, 46% of the contiguous U.S. was in moderate to exceptional drought, an increase of 12% since June. Eighty percent of the Southeast was in drought with the most severe drought in the nation concentrated in the northern half of Alabama, where a drought emergency remains in effect for the state.
Other Items of Note
  • Across the United States, extreme to exceptional drought conditions persisted in a large portion of the southeastern states of Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia. Extreme drought conditions also persisted in the southwestern states of Arizona, California and Nevada, as well as the High Plains states of Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, and Nebraska. For more information on drought during July, please visit the U.S. Drought page.

  • El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are in an ENSO-neutral state. By the end of July, sea-surface temperature (SST) anomalies were slightly positive in the western equatorial Pacific and became more negative in the east-central equatorial Pacific. Some dynamical models are forecasting a transition from ENSO-neutral conditions to La Niña conditions over the next 1-3 months, while most models are forecasting the continuation of ENSO-neutral conditions. For additional information on ENSO conditions, please visit the NCDC ENSO Monitoring page and the latest NOAA ENSO Advisory.
For additional details, see the Monthly and Seasonal Highlights section below and visit the July Climate Summary page. For information on local temperature and precipitation records during the month of July, please visit NCDC's Extremes page. For details and graphics on weather events across the U.S. and the globe please visit NCDC's Global Hazards page.

Monthly and Seasonal Highlights:


Contiguous U.S.:

For additional national, regional, and statewide data and graphics from 1895-present, for July, the last 3 months or other periods, please visit the Climate At A Glance page.
  • July Temperature: 15th warmest July in the 1895—2007 record.  The preliminary nationally-averaged temperature was 75.74°F (24.30°C), which was 1.44°F (0.80°C) above the 1901—2000 (20th century) mean.

  • July Precipitation: 46th wettest nationally in the 1895—2007 record. An average of 2.85 inches (72.39 mm) fell over the contiguous U.S. in July, which was 0.09 inches (2.26 mm) above the 20th century mean for the month.

  • May—July Temperature (3-Month): 4th warmest in the 1895-to-present record, 1.64°F (0.91°C) above the 20th century mean. The preliminary nationally-averaged May—July temperature was 69.85°F (21.03°C).

  • May—July Precipitation (3-month): An average total of 8.14 inches (206.76 mm) of precipitation fell during this 3-month period, which corresponds to a ranking of 35th driest over the 1895—2007 period.

  • February—July (6-month): The national average temperature was the 15th warmest for this 6-month period. The preliminary nationally-averaged temperature was 57.04°F (13.91°C), which was 1.39°F (0.77°C) above the 20th century mean. At 14.52 inches (368.81 mm), the February—July precipitation was below average and ranked as the 31st driest such period in the 1895—2007 record with 0.86 inches (21.79 mm) below the mean.

  • January—July (Year-to-date): The 19th warmest January—July on record. The preliminary nationally-averaged year-to-date temperature was 53.41°F (11.89°C), or 1.30°F (0.72°C) above the mean. The year-to-date period was the 30th driest January—July in the 113-year record, receiving a national average of 16.71 inches (424.43 mm) of precipitation during the period, or 0.89 inches (22.56 mm) below the 20th century mean.

  • August 2006—July 2007: This was the 13th warmest such period in the 1895—2007 record.  The preliminary nationally-averaged annual temperature was 53.88°F (12.16°C), which was 1.06°F (0.59°C) above the mean. Precipitation for the August 2006—July 2007 period ranked as the 41st wettest August to July in the 112-year record.  The nationally-averaged annual precipitation accumulation was 30.12 inches (765.05 mm), ranking just above the 20th century mean.

Alaska:
  • Alaska had its 10th warmest July since records began in 1918, with a temperature 1.26°F (0.70°C) above the 1971—2000 average.

  • Alaska had its 8th warmest May—July on record, with a temperature 1.30°F (0.72°C) below the 1971—2000 average.

  • Alaska had its 30th warmest January—July on record, with a temperature 0.05°F (0.03°C) below the 1971—2000 average.

Other Statewide and Regional Highlights:
  • The average July temperatures were above average across many of the western and northwestern states and set new records in three of the northern mountain states: Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Idaho's preliminary record high average temperature of 73.7°F (23.2°C) was 1.9°F (1.1°C) warmer than the previous record set in 2003. Despite this warmth, much of the nation from the Deep South to the Northeast remained cool during July. Texas and Arkansas ranked 4th and 6th coolest, respectively. Texas had the 4th wettest July on record. Precipitation for the month resulted in the 4th driest July for South Dakota and the 7th driest July for Minnesota on record.

  • May—July temperatures across Texas ranked 5th coolest on record. Idaho set a new record average temperature for this period. Nevada tied for 2nd warmest, and Utah was also ranked as the 2nd warmest three month May—July on record, both second only to 2006. Texas set a new record for the most precipitation with 16.17 inches from May—July, and Oklahoma ranked as the 2nd wettest. On the dry side, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Nevada all had the 2nd driest May—July period.

  • The South region had the second wettest May—July period with an average total of 15.67 inches (398.02 mm). This is 4.78 inches (121.41 mm) above the mean.

  • Temperatures over the past 6 months (February—July) were much above average in the West, Northwest, Southwest, and West North Central regions. Precipitation ranked the period the 2nd driest in the Southeast, and thirteenth wettest in the South.

  • February—July (6-month) temperatures were much above average for 9 states, including Nevada, Wyoming, Idaho and Utah. No states had temperatures much below normal for this period. Tennessee had the driest February to July period on record and had 12.30 inches (312.35 mm) less precipitation than normal. Both Alabama and North Carolina had the second-driest period on record. However, Texas experienced its 3rd wettest and Oklahoma its 5th wettest such period on record.

  • So far during 2007, the average temperatures have been above average for 24 states, including Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah. Tennessee had its driest such period on record, and both Alabama and Idaho were the second-driest for the period. In contrast, Texas experienced its wettest January through July on record, and Oklahoma experienced its 3rd wettest.

  • Overall, the January—July precipitation across the Southeast was 2nd driest. It was the 7th driest in the West region, and 8th wettest in the South region.

  • The average temperatures over the past twelve months from August 2006—July 2007 were near average to much warmer than average for the Lower 48 States. Four states, including Idaho and Montana, experienced average temperatures much above normal. The West North Central region experienced temperatures much above normal. Although the temperatures in much of the U.S. were warmer than normal, many states experienced precipitation much wetter than normal as well. Both Oklahoma and Texas had their third wettest August—July period. In the west, Nevada set a new record precipitation low for the same period.

See NCDC's Monthly Extremes web-page for weather and climate records for the month of July.


PLEASE NOTE: All of the temperature and precipitation ranks and values are based on preliminary data.  The ranks will change when the final data are processed, but will not be replaced on these pages.  Graphics based on final data are available on the Climate Monitoring Products page.

Citing This Report

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Monthly National Climate Report for July 2007, published online August 2007, retrieved on March 28, 2024 from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/national/200707.