Copernicus says August matched July 2023 as the warmest month on record; strengthening El Niño drives further heat across land and oceans
August 2026 was the joint hottest month ever recorded globally, with average surface air temperatures reaching 1.65°C above the estimated pre-industrial baseline, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Thursday.
August matched July 2023 as the warmest month in the global climate record. It was also the first month since November 2025 to cross the 1.5°C mark, according to C3S.
The month brought record warmth across the oceans as well. Average sea surface temperatures over the extra-polar oceans were jointly the highest ever recorded, matching the level seen in March 2024. The highest daily global sea surface temperature over the extra-polar ocean also reached a record 21.11°C.
C3S linked the exceptional ocean temperatures to strengthening El Niño conditions in the tropical Pacific. The climate pattern is expected to influence temperature and rainfall patterns across several regions in the coming months.
The latest assessment comes amid warnings from the World Meteorological Organization that El Niño has firmly established and could intensify into a very strong event. The WMO has estimated an almost 100% likelihood of the phenomenon persisting through February 2027.
Europe also experienced exceptional heat during August. The month marked the end of western Europe’s warmest summer on record, surpassing the previous record set in 2003. Heatwaves continued across the region, while widespread dryness contributed to severe drought conditions in parts of France, the UK, Hungary, Romania and Serbia.
Several major European rivers, including the Rhine and Danube, recorded exceptionally low flows.
Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, said August was a “remarkable” month in the global climate record, with extreme conditions affecting both the atmosphere and oceans.
UN Climate Change executive secretary Simon Stiell separately warned that climate-driven extreme heat was already causing significant human and economic losses, including damage to infrastructure, agriculture and supply chains.
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