ORLANDO, Fla. — August 2026 was the hottest August ever recorded, and it tied the record for the hottest month in Earth’s recorded climate history.
New data from Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service shows August 2026 was the warmest August globally since records in the dataset began in 1940.
The global average surface air temperature reached 62.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
But August’s record didn’t stop there.
Copernicus says August 2026 tied July 2023 as the warmest month ever recorded globally, with the difference between the two months measuring less than one-hundredth of a degree.
And the heat wasn’t limited to the land.
Global ocean surface temperatures outside the polar regions reached a record high for August, averaging 69.9 degrees Fahrenheit.
Copernicus says the developing El Niño in the tropical Pacific is contributing to exceptionally warm ocean temperatures.
Scientists say the record warmth is another indication of the continuing impact of a warming climate.
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