Where to go in July
Heat is the default, so the question becomes which kind you can live with: dry and blazing, warm and sticky, or the narrow strips of coast that never got the memo.
Beach warm
82 places
- Death Valley CA 117° / 91° Earth's hottest place, doing exactly what it advertises.
- Palm Springs CA 109° / 79° Every single day tops out brutal; nights barely cool off.
- Phoenix AZ 107° / 85° Heat, dust, and storms — monsoon season in one breath.
- Las Vegas NV 105° / 82° Furnace days with a chance of sudden, dramatic storm.
- Zion National Park UT 100° / 70° Blistering afternoons, and the monsoon rewrites the evening.
- Tucson AZ 100° / 76° Thunderheads build over the Catalinas and everybody stops to watch.
- Moab UT 99° / 66° Every single afternoon is too hot to be outside.
- Sedona AZ 97° / 68° Clear mornings, violent afternoons, and canyons that fill fast.
- Austin TX 97° / 75° The heat settles in and does not leave.
- El Paso TX 96° / 73° Storms roll off the mountains and the arroyos run.
- Dallas TX 96° / 76° Baked, cloudless, and the grass gives up first.
- South Padre Island TX 95° / 78° Early swim, long siesta, then the whole island comes out.
- San Antonio TX 95° / 75° Hot and sticky, and the sky mostly refuses to help.
- Houston TX 95° / 76° Steam. Your glasses fog on the way out the door.
- Salt Lake City UT 94° / 68° Desert heat with no humidity to soften the blow.
- Reno NV 94° / 60° Hot, dry, cloudless: the afternoon breeze does the work.
- Corpus Christi TX 94° / 76° Hot, bright, breezy — the wind is your only mercy.
- Boise ID 93° / 62° Baking, bone-dry heat that eases off after sundown.
- Savannah GA 92° / 74° Deep summer, moving slowly, air you can practically hold.
- Orlando FL 92° / 73° Peak Florida summer: plan the mornings, surrender the afternoons.
- Memphis TN 92° / 74° Hot enough that shade counts as a destination.
- Hilton Head Island SC 92° / 75° Peak everything. Beach at sunrise is the move.
- Fort Myers FL 92° / 75° Mornings are the whole day; afternoons belong to the storm.
- Pensacola FL 92° / 75° Wet and blazing — set an early alarm.
- Galveston TX 91° / 80° Hot, humid, and the sea offers no relief whatsoever.
- Albuquerque NM 91° / 67° Afternoon thunder over the mountain, rainbows to follow.
- Sarasota FL 91° / 75° Hot, loud skies, and a Gulf like warm soup.
- Panama City Beach FL 91° / 75° Hot enough that the shade is the real amenity.
- Tampa FL 91° / 77° Air you can lean on; storms you can schedule around.
- St. Augustine FL 91° / 74° Hot, bright, and hard on the cobblestones.
- Destin FL 91° / 76° Emerald water, blazing sand, docks busy till dark.
- Nashville TN 91° / 71° Heavy air, long light, and pavement that holds the heat.
- Naples FL 91° / 76° Steamy and drenched — mornings on the sand, then indoors.
- Miami FL 91° / 78° Ocean like a warm bath, air like a wrung towel.
- New Orleans LA 91° / 78° Wettest, steamiest month — the middle of the day is a write-off.
- Clearwater FL 90° / 76° Sunburn before lunch, thunder before dinner.
- Charlotte NC 90° / 70° The lake stops being optional.
- Key West FL 90° / 81° Breathless streets, blinding light, no shade on Duval.
- Daytona Beach FL 90° / 74° The sand burns; the ocean is a relief.
- Denver CO 90° / 59° Hot mornings, thunderhead afternoons, and light until nearly nine.
- Atlanta GA 90° / 72° Hot, wet, and thoroughly committed to it.
- Fort Lauderdale FL 90° / 78° Ocean warmer than the pool; shade worth arguing over.
- Washington, DC DC 90° / 72° The kind of heat that makes shade a destination.
- St. Louis MO 90° / 71° Heavy air, hot pavement — evenings are the only sane plan.
- Gulf Shores AL 89° / 74° Crowds at their thickest, storms at their most reliable.
- Kahului (Maui) HI 89° / 72° Hot, dry, and windy by dinnertime — a fair trade.
- Yosemite Valley CA 89° / 57° Hot, dry, and the falls already losing their voice.
- Branson MO 89° / 68° Thick air: mornings on the water, afternoons in air conditioning.
- Park City UT 89° / 48° Genuinely hot afternoons, and a jacket at breakfast regardless.
- Santa Fe NM 89° / 58° Afternoons build, evenings clear, opera nights need a blanket.
- Williamsburg VA 89° / 70° The month to see the gardens before breakfast.
- Honolulu HI 88° / 75° The trades work overtime, and you'll want them to.
- Philadelphia PA 88° / 70° Hot enough that shade becomes a planning decision.
- Myrtle Beach SC 88° / 74° Hot, packed, and loud; the water is the point.
- Charleston SC 88° / 77° Nights stay warm here — the harbor never lets go.
- Virginia Beach VA 87° / 70° Hot, crowded, and loud in every possible sense.
- Durango CO 87° / 52° Hot mornings, monsoon afternoons, and air that smells like rain.
- Atlantic City NJ 87° / 67° Everything open, everything crowded, everything lit up.
- Colorado Springs CO 87° / 58° Mornings for the mountain, afternoons for the porch and thunder.
- Kailua-Kona HI 86° / 75° Peak summer here: flat water, hot pavement, no rain.
- Asheville NC 86° / 65° Showers most afternoons, and windows open every night.
- Outer Banks NC 86° / 73° Peak season on a two-lane road. Leave early.
- Grand Canyon AZ 85° / 50° Afternoon storms up top, punishing heat all the way down.
- New York City NY 85° / 70° Hot pavement, hotter platforms — plan around the air conditioning.
- Lihue (Kauai) HI 85° / 75° Warm through and through; the rain never really commits.
- Chicago IL 85° / 66° Hot, loud, and fully outside — the city's showing-off month.
- Anaheim CA 84° / 66° Hot pavement, long lines, and no rain to hide under.
- Ocean City MD 84° / 68° Full summer, full boardwalk, and the surf properly warm.
- Bend OR 84° / 49° Blazing afternoons that give it all back after sunset.
- Minneapolis MN 83° / 65° The warm, sticky peak — early mornings are the reward.
- Gatlinburg TN 83° / 63° The busiest month, the wettest month, and still not hot.
- Hilo HI 83° / 70° Rain most days, sun most days, both before lunch.
- Burlington VT 82° / 62° Hot and humid by Vermont standards; head for the waterfront.
- Bozeman MT 82° / 52° Hot afternoons, sleeping-bag nights, and rivers running clear.
- Boston MA 82° / 66° Humid stretches broken by whatever the ocean sends inland.
- Flagstaff AZ 82° / 51° Cool mountain days broken open by afternoon thunder.
- Los Angeles CA 82° / 65° Real summer at last — the ocean finally worth getting into.
- Portland OR 82° / 59° Weeks of blue sky, and cool enough to sleep.
- Yellowstone WY 81° / 48° Warm and dusty, with every parking lot full by mid-morning.
- Cape Cod MA 81° / 65° Everything peaks at once: the water, the crowds, the traffic.
- Niagara Falls NY 81° / 61° The crush: every overlook shoulder to shoulder, all day.
- South Lake Tahoe CA 80° / 43° Bright, dry, and the nights still ask for a sweater.
Genuinely warm
15 places
- Newport RI 80° / 64° Festivals take the peninsula and the swimming is finally good.
- Portland, Maine ME 80° / 61° Warm, busy, and the harbor smells like actual work.
- Traverse City MI 79° / 58° Cherry-festival week — the whole town moves down to the water.
- Bar Harbor ME 79° / 60° Warm on land, shockingly cold in the water. Both true.
- Mackinac Island MI 79° / 53° Warm days, cool nights, and fudge in every direction.
- Jackson Hole WY 79° / 41° Warm bright days and a shock of cold at dawn.
- Napa CA 79° / 55° Bone-dry days, cold fog at dawn, and vines going quiet.
- Door County WI 78° / 59° Bay-side swimming, fish boils, and traffic on both highways.
- Seattle WA 77° / 57° The secret months begin: dry, bright, blessedly not hot.
- Aspen CO 76° / 48° Warm afternoons, cold mornings, thunder rolling off the Bells.
- San Diego CA 75° / 66° Bright afternoons, warm surf, and every parking lot full.
- Lake Placid NY 74° / 54° Pleasant when it's dry, which is less often than you'd like.
- Santa Barbara CA 73° / 58° Proper summer, without the heat other places call summer.
- Fairbanks AK 73° / 53° Warmest month, and the one that can turn smoky.
- Santa Cruz CA 72° / 53° Peak visitor month, and the water still bites.
Mild
5 places
- Monterey CA 69° / 54° Cold, gray summer — the drip off the pines counts as weather.
- Denali National Park AK 66° / 45° Busiest weeks of the year, and the wettest ones too.
- San Francisco CA 66° / 54° The coldest summer month you will ever pack a coat for.
- Anchorage AK 66° / 53° As warm as it gets, which still means a fleece.
- Juneau AK 64° / 50° Warmest, busiest, and wetter than June — pack the shell.
Warm water this month
- Key West 89°
- Tampa 89°
- Sarasota 89°
- Clearwater 89°
- Miami 88°
- Fort Lauderdale 88°
- Fort Myers 88°
- Naples 88°
- Galveston 88°
- Pensacola 87°
- Corpus Christi 87°
- Charleston 86°
- Destin 85°
- Panama City Beach 85°
- Savannah 85°
- Hilton Head Island 85°
- Myrtle Beach 84°
- Outer Banks 84°
- St. Augustine 83°
- Lihue (Kauai) 83°
- South Padre Island 82°
- Kailua-Kona 81°
- Honolulu 80°
- Kahului (Maui) 80°
- Hilo 80°
- Virginia Beach 76°
- Door County 73°
- Ocean City 72°
- Chicago 72°