The heat reached unprecedented levels at the Earth’s surface, with the European Copernicus climate service recording the hottest August ever measured globally. Europe also experienced its hottest summer on record.
“August 2026 was a remarkable month in the annals of global climate,” Samantha Burgess, a scientist at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), said in Copernicus’ monthly climate bulletin.
She told AFP that people had probably never experienced temperatures as high as those seen today over at least the past 100,000 years.
From New York to Tokyo, and from Rome to New Delhi, the summer of 2026 was marked by extreme temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere. The heat disrupted the daily lives of delivery workers, outdoor labourers, holidaymakers and vulnerable people inside their homes.
August becomes hottest month on record
The average global air temperature reached 16.96°C in August 2026, making it the hottest month ever recorded, regardless of season, according to Copernicus data dating back to 1940.
July 2023 was previously ranked second at 16.95°C. Copernicus told AFP that the two months should effectively be considered tied because of the extremely small difference between the measurements.
The June-August period was also the hottest summer recorded globally, matching the record set in 2024.
The findings were released a day after the US weather service reported that the country had experienced its hottest summer in 130 years.
Other climate datasets, extending much further back in time, indicate that the current period is likely the hottest Earth has experienced in around 125,000 years.
Climate change drives extreme heat
“The more humanity continues to burn colossal amounts of coal, oil and gas, the pollution it creates will continue to overheat our planet, and extreme heatwaves will continue to smash all-time records,” said Simon Stiell, head of the UN climate agency.
He called for a faster transition to cleaner forms of energy and greater protection of forests and oceans.
The El Niño climate phenomenon is also contributing to higher ocean temperatures this year, in a cyclical process linked to droughts and flooding. Scientists fear it could further intensify global warming and extreme weather.
Climate scientist Friederike Otto of Imperial College London said climate change was making every El Niño event stronger, adding that record-breaking months were likely to continue as long as fossil fuels were burned.
Europe records hottest summer
The global average temperature in August was 1.65°C above the pre-industrial average, according to Copernicus. This was significantly above the most ambitious temperature limit set under the 2015 Paris Agreement and marked the first time since November 2025 that the threshold had been exceeded.
Western Europe experienced a succession of early, persistent and intense heatwaves, resulting in its hottest summer on record and surpassing the previous record set in 2003.
Across Europe, the average air temperature during the summer reached 20.26°C, or 1.10°C above the pre-industrial level. Globally, it was the third-hottest summer on record.
Weather services in France, Britain and Belgium successively reported record-breaking summer temperatures.
More than 30,000 excess deaths had been recorded by the end of August, according to preliminary data published by EuroMOMO, which compiles statistics from 23 European countries and health authorities.
Oceans also reach record temperatures
Heatwaves also affected the world’s oceans, according to Copernicus.
The average monthly sea-surface temperature, excluding the polar regions, reached a record 21.07°C. This matched the previous record set in March 2024.
The latest data highlight the continued persistence of exceptional global and European temperatures, with both land and ocean systems experiencing record or near-record heat.
Also read: El Niño triggers emergency measures in Central America
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