Copernicus Reports August 2026 Tied July 2023 as Hottest Month on Record
In August 2026, global surface air temperatures reached an average of 62.53°F, matching July 2023 as the hottest month recorded since 1940, as reported by the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. This figure is nearly 3 degrees higher than pre-industrial levels, surpassing the Paris Agreement's 2.7-degree limit. Western Europe faced its hottest summer on record, contributing to at least 35,000 fatalities, while the contiguous U.S. recorded its warmest season since 1895. Additionally, average sea surface temperatures beyond polar areas hit 69.9°F, the highest for any August. The Copernicus report links this extreme heat to a robust El Niño and the reliance on fossil fuels, while a UN report cautions that exceeding the 2.7-degree threshold appears inevitable, emphasizing the need to limit peak warming.
Key facts
- August 2026 tied July 2023 as the hottest month on record, with data going back to 1940
- Global surface air temperature averaged 62.53 degrees Fahrenheit in August 2026
- Temperatures were almost 3 degrees above pre-industrial levels, exceeding the Paris Agreement's 2.7-degree threshold
- Western Europe had its hottest summer ever, with back-to-back heatwaves linked to at least 35,000 deaths
- The contiguous United States recorded its warmest season since 1895; August averaged 75.6 degrees, 3.5 degrees above the 20th-century average
- July 2026 averaged 76.9 degrees, breaking the Dust Bowl record set in July 1936
- Average sea surface temperature outside polar regions hit 69.9 degrees, the highest on record for any August
- Copernicus attributes the heat to a strengthening El Niño and global heating from fossil fuel use
- A UN report titled 'Limiting Overshoot,' published September 2, warned that passing the 2.7-degree threshold is probably unavoidable
Entities
Artists
- Samantha Burgess
- Jeff Masters
- Bob Henson
- Friederike Otto
- Simon Stiell
- Clair Barnes
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Institutions
- Copernicus Climate Change Service
- European Union
- Paris Agreement
- National Centers for Environmental Information
- Yale Climate Connections
- Imperial College London
- Associated Press
- United Nations
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
- BBC News
- Smithsonian Magazine
- European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts
- Copernicus
Locations
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- United States
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