Earth experienced its hottest month on record in August, shattering previous climate benchmarks due to a combination of human-caused climate change and a strong El Niño, according to the European climate service Copernicus. This August's global average temperature of 62.53 degrees Fahrenheit (16.96 degrees Celsius) technically tied the previous record set in July 2023, but scientists consider it a tie within the margin of error.
Globally, August was 1.65 degrees Celsius (nearly 3 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, exceeding the 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) threshold established by the 2015 Paris climate agreement. The eight hottest months recorded have all occurred since July 2023.
"Our climate system is really operating well outside the range we would have expected just a decade ago," said Samantha Burgess, strategic climate lead for Copernicus. "We've transitioned from climate being very abstract and perhaps impacting the global South or far away places to climate impacting and disrupting our daily lives with schools closing, hospitals being overwhelmed, roads melting, train lines buckling."
Ocean temperatures globally in August also tied an all-time record for the warmest month recorded, which was previously set in March 2024. August 22 marked the hottest day recorded in the world's seas.
In the United States, August surpassed previous heat records by more than half a degree Fahrenheit, with an average temperature of 75.58 degrees (24.21 degrees Celsius). The average daytime high temperature also reached a record 88.56 degrees (31.42 degrees Celsius).
Scientists noted that while El Niño is a contributing factor to the warming, the primary driver remains the heat-trapping gases released from the burning of fossil fuels. "While El Nino is starting to ramp up the heat, the underlying driver remains our relentless burning of fossil fuels," said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London. "Climate change makes every El Nino hotter, and until we stop burning coal, oil, and gas these record-shattering months will simply keep on coming."
El Niño typically adds only a fraction of a degree Celsius to global temperatures, with the majority of the warming attributed to human activity. Forecasts indicate that this El Niño could be exceptionally strong in the coming months. Experts warn that as global temperatures continue to rise, heat waves, storms, floods, and wildfires are expected to become more frequent and severe.
Several climate scientists predict that years like 2024 will likely surpass previous records for warmest year, with future years potentially reaching even higher temperature anomalies above pre-industrial levels, especially if strong El Niño events coincide with ongoing climate change.