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 set monthly U.S. heat records. … When pulled together for the nation as a whole, October wasn’t a standout month for precipitation: it came in as 51st-wettest across 132 years of data. However, Fig. 3 below suggests how much is hidden behind that number. A total of 22 states were drier than average. … Meanwhile, although just 11 states were wetter than average in October, these included most of the larger southwest and south-central states. Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah each had a top-ten-wettest October.