# U.S. had its warmest January-October on record, 18 states set marks

Published November 11, 2026, 8:16 PM ET  
By Ryan Hall, Y'all  
Written by our automated news desk from Ryan's video.

The U.S. had its warmest January through October on record, and 18 states set their own records, including California, Colorado, Texas, Tennessee and Alabama. Ryan Hall says November and December would have to form one of the coldest stretches in more than a decade across the country to keep 2026 from setting the annual record. The coldest air of the season so far reaches Alabama and the Carolinas Saturday night, Nov. 14, but he says preventing the annual record is a long shot.

## Key points

- Ryan points out that the old record isn't just being broken: "we are beating it by a lot."
- He looked into whether the rest of the year could save the old record. For 2026 to lose it, he says, November and December would have to be one of the coldest stretches in more than a decade across the whole country. That would take "a big cold front" and likely several of them.
- Ryan says this weekend's cold is a "long shot" to change that. It will take a lot more cold than one weekend, so he plans to keep watching "all the way through New Year's."

![Thumbnail of Ryan Hall's video: 2026 Is About To Be The Hottest Year Ever](https://public.yallsoft.app/rhy/blog/images/2026-11-11-news-video-I-z706-kHsc-0059.png)

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_z706-kHsc

# Lower 48 had its warmest January-October on record, 18 states set marks

The first 10 months of 2026 were the warmest start to any year on record across the country, and Ryan says the country is headed for the hottest year America has ever recorded. Eighteen states set records of their own, including California, Colorado, Texas, Tennessee and Alabama. The next test comes Saturday night, Nov. 14, when the coldest air of the season so far reaches Alabama and the Carolinas.

## What Ryan said

- Ryan points out that the old record isn't just being broken: "we are beating it by a lot."
- He looked into whether the rest of the year could save the old record. For 2026 to lose it, he says, November and December would have to be one of the coldest stretches in more than a decade across the whole country. That would take "a big cold front" and likely several of them.
- Ryan says this weekend's cold is a "long shot" to change that. It will take a lot more cold than one weekend, so he plans to keep watching "all the way through New Year's."

## The numbers

Ryan says January through October 2026 was the warmest start to any year on record across the country, with 18 states setting records.

The cold snap he mentions is real. Our [winter outlook](/winter) has cold northwest winds across the eastern U.S. through Saturday, with a few light lake-effect and Appalachian snow showers. High pressure then moderates things on Sunday. One chilly weekend won't change the year's total much, and that is Ryan's point.

Get a heads-up if the pattern turns colder with [Y'all Alerts](/alerts).

Watch the Short above for Ryan's full take.

More on: [Weather records, January 2026](https://ryanhallyall.com/news/topic/records-january-2026)

## Sources

- [Ryan Hall, Y'all video: 2026 Is About To Be The Hottest Year Ever](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_z706-kHsc), Ryan Hall, Y'all, issued November 11, 2026, 7:59 PM ET

---

Canonical: https://ryanhallyall.com/news/us-had-its-warmest-january-october-on-record-18-states-set-marks
From Ryan Hall, Y'all (https://ryanhallyall.com). Always follow official warnings from the National Weather Service.