August became Earth’s hottest month on record by the narrowest of margins, with global temperatures climbing well above preindustrial levels as a strong El Niño added to long-term human-caused warming.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that the average global surface temperature reached 62.53 degrees Fahrenheit, or 16.96 degrees Celsius, making August 2026 the warmest August in its ERA5 dataset and effectively tying July 2023 as the hottest month measured.
The month was 1.65 degrees Celsius (2.97°F) warmer than the estimated 1850-1900 preindustrial average. It was the first month in Copernicus data to rise above 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7°F) since November 2025. A single month above that level does not mean the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree Celsius (2.7°F) limit has formally been breached because the target refers to long-term warming.
Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, called August 2026 “a remarkable month in the global climate record.”
August 2026 confirmed as Earth’s hottest month as ocean heat surges
The record came as ocean temperatures also reached exceptional levels. Copernicus said average sea surface temperatures outside the polar regions hit 21.07 Celsius (69.93°F), the highest August reading in its dataset and tied with March 2024 for the highest monthly level.
🌡️ August 2026 was the warmest August on record globally.
According to the latest C3S Climate Bulletin, global-avg surface air temp reached 16.96°C – 0.85°C above the 1991–2020 avg
🛰️ The data reveal striking regional differences across Europe.
🔗 https://t.co/DVuUwVqJHa pic.twitter.com/bSjM2joI0N
— Copernicus EU (@CopernicusEU) September 10, 2026
A rapidly strengthening El Niño in the tropical Pacific helped raise global temperatures. The World Meteorological Organization said Sept. 3 that the event was firmly established and had a nearly 100% chance of continuing through February 2027. It is expected to strengthen further before peaking near the end of the year.
The heat also closed out western Europe’s hottest summer on record. Copernicus reported prolonged heat waves, extremely dry soils and unusually low river flows, including along the Rhine and Danube. The dry conditions supported widespread wildfire activity and hurt agriculture in parts of central and eastern Europe.
Heat, drought and wildfires mark a record summer
The United States also recorded its warmest summer in 132 years of national records, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. August was the warmest August on record for the contiguous United States, averaging 75.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
Elsewhere, Indonesia faced intensifying seasonal fires amid El Niño-related dryness, while a deadly glacier collapse and flooding struck the Nepal-Tibet region in late August. Scientists cited warming and glacier loss as possible contributors to mountain instability, but the exact trigger of that disaster remained under investigation.
The broader warming signal remains clear. Copernicus said the 12 months ending in August averaged 1.48 degrees Celsius (2.66°F) above preindustrial levels.
A U.N. Environment Programme report released Sept. 2 said that exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7°F) over the long term is now widely assessed as unavoidable under current policies, while emphasizing that limiting the size and duration of any overshoot remains critical.
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