The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported on September 10, 2026, that August was the hottest August on record and tied for the hottest month ever recorded since at least 1940. The global average temperature during August reached 62.53 degrees Fahrenheit (16.96 Celsius), matching the mark set in July 2023. Scientists attributed the record temperatures to a combination of long-term climate change and a strengthening El Niño event in the tropical Pacific.
The meteorological summer, spanning June through August, tied with the summer of 2024 as the hottest such season globally. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the contiguous United States also recorded its hottest summer on record, surpassing the benchmark set during the 1936 Dust Bowl era. The U.S. summer average was 74.37 degrees Fahrenheit (23.54 Celsius), approximately four-tenths of a degree warmer than the 1936 record.
Ocean temperatures contributed to the atmospheric records, with global sea surface temperatures tying the record for the warmest monthly average ever logged. On August 22, 2026, the world's seas reached their hottest single day on record, according to Copernicus. Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at Copernicus, noted that while El Niño contributes an estimated 0.1 to 0.2 degrees Celsius to global temperatures, the primary driver is heat from the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas.
The record heat affects hundreds of millions of people across North America, Europe, and Asia. In the United States, residents in the Lower 48 states experienced an average daytime high of 88.56 degrees Fahrenheit (31.42 Celsius) in August, a new record. The heat has resulted in operational disruptions, including schools closing, hospitals facing higher patient volumes, and damage to infrastructure such as melting roads and buckling train lines.
August marked the first time since November of the previous year that global temperatures exceeded the 1.5-degree Celsius (2.7-degree Fahrenheit) warming threshold established by the 2015 Paris Agreement. A United Nations Environment Program report indicated that without steep cuts to emissions, this threshold is likely to be exceeded long-term. UN climate chief Simon Stiell stated that these climate conditions lead to increased costs for household basics like food due to impacts on agriculture and transportation.
Climate scientists, including Zeke Hausfather of Berkeley Earth, suggest that 2026 is likely to become the warmest year on record, potentially to be surpassed by 2027. Experts indicate that as background temperatures rise, extreme events such as heat waves, storms, and wildfires will become more frequent and long-lasting. The ongoing El Niño is forecast to reach record strength in the coming months, which may continue the current streak of record-breaking global temperatures.