August 2026 officially became the warmest month ever recorded globally, according to new data released by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). The average global temperature last month reached 16.96°C (62.52°F), surpassing the previous record set by July 2023.
Global sea surface temperatures also hit a record high in August, indicating a strengthening El Niño phenomenon. Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at the European Centre for Medium–Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), stated that August 2026 was a "remarkable month in the global climate record." She noted that the month's global temperatures reached 1.65°C above pre-industrial levels, marking the first time in nearly a year that global temperatures have exceeded the 1.5°C threshold.
The global average surface air temperature in August was 0.85°C above the 1991-2020 average and 1.65°C above the estimated pre-industrial 1850-1900 average. This recent surge above the 1.5°C mark is a significant indicator of the planet's warming trend.
Europe experienced continued heatwaves throughout August, building on extreme heat that began in May. Large areas of central and eastern Europe faced widespread dryness, with severe drought conditions reported in France, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia.
Oceans also reflected the rising temperatures, with sea surface temperatures (SSTs) reaching 21.07°C (69.92°F), exceeding the previous record of 20.98°C (69.76°F) set in 2023. The C3S report highlighted that SSTs remained exceptionally high across the tropical Pacific, where El Niño conditions are present and are forecast to strengthen further, potentially developing into one of the strongest El Niño events on record.
These findings come shortly after scientists from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issued a warning that El Niño is being "supersized before our eyes." The climate pattern, characterized by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific, is now considered firmly established and is expected to significantly impact global rainfall and temperature patterns, potentially leading to floods, droughts, and extreme heat.
Forecasts suggest an exceptionally high likelihood, nearing 100 percent, that El Niño will cause disruptions until February. The Met Office has indicated that El Niño is likely to contribute to a colder, wetter, and stormier autumn and early winter in the UK.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commented on the situation, stating, "The science leaves no room for doubt: the planet is in uncharted waters – and those waters are heating up." He emphasized that "sea surface temperatures are rising, temperatures keep climbing and the world is in the danger zone of extreme weather."
El Niño and La Niña are the warm and cool phases, respectively, of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a recurring climate pattern in the tropical Pacific. This cycle typically shifts every two to seven years and influences global temperature, winds, and precipitation. The ENSO cycle includes El Niño (warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean surface), La Niña (cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean surface), and Neutral phases.