Insider Blog: August 2026 Weather Recap

August was an overall warm/hot month with more days ABOVE normal, along with some record-breaking temperatures. The majority of the month was dry, but we did get some light rain and even winds. Take a look at our weather recap and stats for the month of August.

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - It was a hot month overall for the month of August. The warmest days recorded for August were 116 degrees on Friday, August 1st, and Saturday, August 22nd. On August 22nd, Yuma also broke a daily record high for that day.

During this month, we had a few extreme heat warnings that got multiple extensions and stayed in place for several days and even weeks. It was a brutal month with extreme heat for multiple days in a row. The month of August was the hottest August on record for Yuma.

Yuma did have multiple record-warm low temperatures: 89ºF on Aug 2nd, 88ºF on Aug 8th, 88°F on Aug 26th, 90°Fon Aug 28th.

Pretty much the entire month, we had more days above-normal than we did below-normal or average. But we did have some days when we were cooler than normal.

It's been a very dry month, and we did have a few rain events. One day out of the month, Yuma finally had measurable rain here in Yuma.

For the month of August, we accumulated 0.03"; it is a small amount, but hey, it is something. Our average for August is 0.20", which leaves us below -0.17" for the month.

Now, this month isn't ranked the wettest, but it's ranked 102nd in terms of being the driest. The wettest recorded for August is 6.25" in 1909.

Now, let's look at where Yuma stands with our yearly rain total. Since the start of the year, so far for 2026, Yuma has accumulated 0.06", which is a very small amount.

Comparing it with our 2026 yearly average, we actually should be at 1.81", which is well below normal. We are below for the year by -1.75".

However, with what Yuma has accumulated so far for 2026 and comparing it to our total around this same time back in 2025, we were actually at 1.33" in 2025. Around this time last year, we had more measurable rain recorded.

It hasn't been a wet monsoon season for us, but we have one more month left. So let's hope this month is a wet one and helps us catch up to our yearly rain total.

However, with the lack of rain and hot weather we had this month, it actually brought slight changes to our drought conditions. We are still trending 100% dry and 100% moderate for Yuma County. Yuma County also has a severe drought at the tip of the county toward the east.

Even Imperial County is seeing dry and a chunk of moderate drought conditions as well.

You can also check our drought conditions weekly for both Arizona and California.

Here are the overall August 2026 summary stats. Yuma and El Centro had above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation.

Yuma had its hottest August on record, El Centro tied for the hottest, and Phoenix came in 4th.

You can also read more about Yuma and El Centro 2026 August Climate Stats and Data Report for the month from the NWS Phoenix.

This also marks the end of meteorological summer with the 3 weather sites coming in at or tying for second hottest.

Meteorological summer was the 2nd hottest for Yuma and El Centro on record.

Meteorological summer (Jun-Aug) of 2026 was the 2nd hottest on record at Phoenix, Yuma, and El Centro. The last 4 summers in Phoenix were amongst the top 5 hottest on record (dating back to 1896).

SEVERE WEATHER RECAP: On August 12th, a severe storm swept through parts of Imperial County, bringing heavy rain, flooding, and gusty winds. This storm came up from the south and brought significant weather to the Heber and Calexico area.

You can read more from the report from the National Weather Service Phoenix here.

Heber, CA had flooding and damage from the storm. Take a look at the damage left at Heber Kennedy's Market Gas Station.

There was also flooding, especially in southern Imperial County. Take a look at this photo from Lake Willow Bend.

This storm that day also brought in very strong winds and dust for the county. A Dust Warning was issued in the area that evening. The highest gust recorded in El Centro that day was 57 MPH.

These high winds brought very dusty and hazy conditions in Imperial County. It also lead to hazardous air quality, along with down power lines leading to some power outages.

Then on August 20th, rain and winds came to Yuma County. Finally bringing measurable rain to Yuma Marine Corps Air Station.

Rain recorded that day was 0.03" and highest gusts was 44 MPH.