How to Read NOAA's Monthly U.S. Climate Release — Departures, Rankings and Drought Coverage

As of 10 November 2026, 01:39 KST (retrieved by this page at that time); latest listed on the agency page at retrieval: Monitoring U.S. Temperature and Precipitation in October 2026, a news release from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), published November 9, 2026 and shown first under Featured News on the NCEI home page. It covers the month of October 2026. Primary source: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-202610^[1][4][5]

Comparison basis: temperatures are in degrees Fahrenheit to one decimal and precipitation in inches to two decimals, as printed; this page subtracts the displayed values and does not use the underlying data. An absolute October temperature is not compared with a September one, because each month has its own normal; the departure columns are the comparable measure. Rankings are positions within the same calendar month in the record that begins in 1895, and the releases give no uncertainty range for them. The fourth-warmest ranking concerns the average temperature; the 0.1°F margin quoted below belongs to a separate record, for nighttime minimum temperatures, and says nothing about the margin of the fourth-place ranking.^[1][2][3]

In three lines

1. The contiguous U.S. averaged 58.7°F in October 2026, 4.6°F above the 20th-century average and the fourth-warmest October in 132 years.
2. Precipitation was 2.35 inches, 0.19 inch above average, in the middle third of the record.
3. About 44% of the contiguous U.S. was in drought on November 3, down from about 59% on September 29.^[1]

Contiguous U.S. first. The national figures are for the contiguous 48 states (CONUS). The release says: "The average temperature for the CONUS in October was 58.7°F, 4.6°F above the 20th-century average, ranking as the fourth-warmest October in the 132-year record." It adds: "October marked the 21st consecutive month (February 2025–October 2026) with CONUS temperatures above the 20th-century average."^[1]

Nighttime minimums reported separately. "Nighttime minimum temperatures were especially notable, averaging 46.3°F, 4.9°F above the 20th-century average, and surpassing the previous October record, set in 1947, by 0.1°F."^[1]

Alaska and Hawaiʻi use other baselines. "Alaska’s average temperature was 30.4°F, 4.9°F above the 1925–2000 average, ranking in the warmest third of the 102-year record." "Hawaiʻi’s average temperature was 69.0°F, 0.7°F above the 1991–2020 average, ranking in the warmest third of the 36-year record." The contiguous U.S. is compared with the 20th-century average, Alaska with 1925–2000 and Hawaiʻi with 1991–2020, so the three departures are not on the same base.^[1]

Drought comes from another product. The drought share is taken from the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor, not from NCEI's temperature and precipitation data. Citing the November 3 Drought Monitor, the release puts about 44% of the CONUS in drought, down about 15 percentage points from the end of September and the lowest coverage since January 27. The figure is for a single date, November 3, not for the month.^[1]

The same October normal in two years. October 2026 was 58.7°F and 4.6°F above average; October 2025 was 56.9°F and 2.8°F above average. Subtracting the departures gives 54.1°F in both releases, and precipitation gives 2.16 inches in both (2.35 minus 0.19, 2.33 minus 0.17). These are this page's calculations from rounded figures.^[1][3]

Record lengths move each year. The October 2025 release ranked the month in a 131-year record and the October 2026 release in a 132-year record; Alaska's record grew from 101 to 102 years and Hawaiʻi's from 35 to 36 years. The October 2025 release said: "The contiguous U.S. (CONUS) experienced the eighth-warmest October in the 131-year record." Ranks from different years therefore come from records of different lengths.^[1][3]

Two phrasings of the drought low. The key takeaways say coverage reached its lowest level since January 2026, while the drought section says the lowest CONUS drought coverage since January 27. Both are attached to the November 3 reading; the second gives a specific date.^[1]

A percent or a point. Citing the November 4 Drought Monitor, the October 2025 release puts about 43.7% of the contiguous U.S. in drought and calls it a slight increase of 0.7% from the end of September. The release does not say whether 0.7% means percentage points of area or a relative change, so the unit is not established.^[3]

A record by 0.45°F. September 2026 was printed as 69.4°F against the 1998 record of 68.95°F: "The average temperature for the CONUS in September was 69.4°F, 4.6°F above the 20th-century average, making it the warmest September in the 132-year record, surpassing the previous record set in 1998 (68.95°F)." The gap from the displayed values is 0.45°F; the release does not print the unrounded 2026 value.^[2]

September 2026. "Total precipitation averaged across the CONUS in September was 2.69 inches, 0.20 inch above the 20th-century average, ranking in the wettest third of the 132-year record." Citing the September 29 Drought Monitor, it put about 59% of the CONUS in drought, about the same as at the beginning of September. The September release counted 20 months above the 20th-century average (February 2025 to September 2026); October made it 21.^[2]

Precipitation across the West and South. October rainfall was much above average in the Southwest and Great Basin, and the Southwest climate region averaged 2.68 inches, 233% of its average October total. September had been dry across much of the South, where drought covered 89% of the South region on September 29. The releases give regional and state rankings without uncertainty ranges.^[1][2]

Dates kept apart. Month covered: October 2026. Release: November 9, 2026. Drought reading: November 3, 2026. Previous release: October 8, 2026 (September 2026). Year-ago release: November 20, 2025 (October 2025), whose own full report was scheduled for November 25, 2025.^[1][2][3]

Next release. The release says: "For more detailed climate information, check out our comprehensive October 2026 U.S. Climate Report scheduled for release on November 13, 2026." This page has not read that report, which was scheduled after retrieval; figures in the full report may be more detailed.^[1]