America’s Hot Spots This Week: The 10 Hottest Places in the Lower 48

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather

Week of Thursday, October 29 to Wednesday, November 4, 2026. Published Thursday, November 5, 2026.

The hottest reading in the Lower 48 this week was 97°F (36.1°C) at Rio Grande Village, Texas, on Monday, November 2. South Texas held 10 of the top 11 spots, with one south Florida site joining them. It was a warm week for early November in the Rio Grande Valley, while the desert Southwest stayed in the 80s.

The top 10

Rio Grande Village led the list by 3°F (1.7°C), and a two-way tie for 10th at 92°F brings the table to 11 places.

McAllen was the hottest official station, reaching 94°F on November 2. That was 9°F (5.0°C) above its normal high of 85°F, but short of the date’s record of 98°F (36.7°C), set in 2016. The only entry outside Texas is the site east of Ochopee, Florida, which was the national high on October 29.

What stands out

The heat peaked on Monday, November 2, which produced 6 of the 11 entries, including the week’s top reading. Texas held or shared the daily national high every day from October 31 onward. The first two days were led by the site east of Ochopee, Florida, and on November 4 Texas shared the top spot at 91°F with a site west of Miles City, Florida. Arizona peaked at 87°F (30.6°C), at Yuma and one other station, on October 29.

Brownsville set one daily record and tied another, the only record highs found in NWS reports this week.

The November 3 reading was 10°F (5.6°C) above Brownsville’s normal high of 83°F. The NWS daily climate report lists the old 90°F record under both 1945 and 1946.

The week ahead

NWS forecasts show South Texas peaking today, then cooling sharply over the weekend, while the desert Southwest warms into the mid-80s.

McAllen’s forecast falls to 69°F (20.6°C) by Monday, and Laredo’s to 66°F (18.9°C) on Sunday. No Heat Advisory or Extreme Heat Warning was in effect at any of the 14 places checked. The NOAA Climate Prediction Center’s 6–10 day outlook, issued November 4, says “Above normal temperatures are favored over most of the CONUS” for November 10 to 14.

How this list is made

The list ranks observed daily maximum temperatures from Thursday, October 29 through Wednesday, November 4, 2026, with one entry per place at its hottest reading. It combines the Weather Prediction Center’s daily national high/low product, Iowa Environmental Mesonet daily summaries for airport stations in Texas, Florida, Arizona and California, and NWS daily climate reports. The WPC product names only each day’s top reading, so other non-airport sites may have been as warm. All figures are preliminary. Three readings were left out after hourly checks: 99°F at Harlingen, TX, on November 1 (hourly data peaked at 88°F, matching the climate report), and readings at stations GYF and 18H on November 4 that came from overnight or evening jumps unlike nearby hours.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Texas hotter than Death Valley or Phoenix this week? The week’s heat was centered on South Texas, near the Rio Grande. In the Southwest, airport highs topped out at 87°F in Arizona and 85°F (29.4°C) in California, both on October 29.

Did anywhere reach 100°F? No. The highest reading in the Lower 48 was 97°F at Rio Grande Village, Texas. One 99°F report at Harlingen was left out because hourly observations and the official climate report showed 88°F that day.

Was any heat record broken? Yes, at Brownsville, Texas. Its November 3 high beat a record from 1945, and its November 2 high tied the 1982 record. No other record highs appeared in the NWS record reports checked.

Will the warmth continue next week? South Texas is forecast to cool sharply this weekend, while the desert Southwest holds in the mid-80s. Looking further out, the Climate Prediction Center favors above-normal temperatures over most of the contiguous US for November 10 to 14.

Sources

• WPC US High/Low Temperature Extremes (XTEUS), via Iowa Environmental Mesonet, products for October 29 to November 4, 2026, issued October 30 to November 5
• IEM daily maximum temperatures, Texas ASOS, October 29 to November 4, 2026
• IEM daily maximum temperatures, Florida ASOS, October 29 to November 4, 2026
• IEM daily maximum temperatures, Arizona ASOS, October 29 to November 4, 2026
• IEM daily maximum temperatures, California ASOS, October 29 to November 4, 2026
• IEM hourly observations, Harlingen (HRL), November 1 to 3, 2026
• NWS daily climate report, McAllen (CLIMFE), final report for November 2 issued November 3, 2026
• NWS daily climate report, Brownsville (CLIBRO), reports issued November 3 and 4, 2026
• NWS daily climate report, Laredo (CLILRD), report issued November 3, 2026
• NWS daily climate report, Harlingen (CLIHRL), November 1 to 3, 2026
• NWS Record Event Reports, Brownsville office (RERBRO), issued November 3 and 4, 2026
• IEM station pages: Rio Grande Village (RGET2), Zapata (APY), Falfurrias (BKS), McMullen (NMT), Ingleside (TFP), Weslaco (TXW), accessed November 5, 2026
• NWS point forecasts, all issued November 5, 2026: McAllen, Brownsville, Death Valley, Palm Springs, Yuma, Laredo
• NOAA CPC 6–10 and 8–14 day outlook discussion, issued 3:00 pm EST November 4, 2026