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Earth Just Endured Its Hottest August Ever, Breaching 1.5C Again
(MENAFN) August 2026 tied as the hottest month ever measured on Earth, with global temperatures pushing past the critical 1.5C threshold for the first time since November 2025, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service said Thursday.
Global average surface air temperature hit 16.96C, coming in 0.85C above the 1991-2020 average, based on data from the ERA5 dataset.
That figure placed the month 1.65C above the estimated 1850-1900 pre-industrial benchmark, putting it in a dead heat with July 2023 for the warmest month ever logged across the historical record.
The June-August stretch also tied as the warmest such period on record globally, matching the mark set in 2024.
"August 2026 was a remarkable month in the global climate record," said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
"It was both the warmest August and the warmest month ever recorded, with global temperatures reaching 1.65°C above pre-industrial levels, marking the return of global temperatures above 1.5°C," she added.
Ocean heat also hit new extremes: average sea surface temperature across extra-polar waters reached 21.07C, the highest ever recorded for August and matching the all-time monthly record set in March 2024.
Copernicus pointed to persistently elevated temperatures across much of the tropical Pacific, driven by a potentially extreme El Niño event that continues to strengthen. Record August sea temperatures were also logged along Europe's Atlantic coastline and in the western Mediterranean.
In Europe, western regions posted their hottest summer on record, eclipsing the previous benchmark set in 2003. The continent overall recorded its third-warmest summer, trailing only 2024 and 2022.
Sustained heat combined with below-average rainfall fueled widespread drought and wildfires, with severe drought conditions reported in France, the UK, Hungary, Romania and Serbia.
River flows also dropped to exceptionally low levels across large swaths of Europe, including along the Rhine, Danube, Southern Bug and Dnieper rivers.
Meanwhile, sea ice trends diverged at the poles: Arctic sea ice extent ranked as the 12th-lowest on record for August, while Antarctic sea ice extent came in as the fourth-lowest.
Global average surface air temperature hit 16.96C, coming in 0.85C above the 1991-2020 average, based on data from the ERA5 dataset.
That figure placed the month 1.65C above the estimated 1850-1900 pre-industrial benchmark, putting it in a dead heat with July 2023 for the warmest month ever logged across the historical record.
The June-August stretch also tied as the warmest such period on record globally, matching the mark set in 2024.
"August 2026 was a remarkable month in the global climate record," said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
"It was both the warmest August and the warmest month ever recorded, with global temperatures reaching 1.65°C above pre-industrial levels, marking the return of global temperatures above 1.5°C," she added.
Ocean heat also hit new extremes: average sea surface temperature across extra-polar waters reached 21.07C, the highest ever recorded for August and matching the all-time monthly record set in March 2024.
Copernicus pointed to persistently elevated temperatures across much of the tropical Pacific, driven by a potentially extreme El Niño event that continues to strengthen. Record August sea temperatures were also logged along Europe's Atlantic coastline and in the western Mediterranean.
In Europe, western regions posted their hottest summer on record, eclipsing the previous benchmark set in 2003. The continent overall recorded its third-warmest summer, trailing only 2024 and 2022.
Sustained heat combined with below-average rainfall fueled widespread drought and wildfires, with severe drought conditions reported in France, the UK, Hungary, Romania and Serbia.
River flows also dropped to exceptionally low levels across large swaths of Europe, including along the Rhine, Danube, Southern Bug and Dnieper rivers.
Meanwhile, sea ice trends diverged at the poles: Arctic sea ice extent ranked as the 12th-lowest on record for August, while Antarctic sea ice extent came in as the fourth-lowest.
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