World’s joint hottest month pushes temperatures 1.65°C above pre-industrial levels; Europe records hottest summer ever

August 2026 tied July 2023 as the world’s hottest month on record, with global average surface air temperatures reaching 1.65°C above the estimated pre-industrial level, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). The record heat came alongside unprecedented ocean temperatures and a historic summer heatwave across Western Europe, highlighting the growing intensity of climate extremes.

The global average surface air temperature in August was 16.96°C, 0.85°C above the 1991–2020 average. More significantly, August was the first month since November 2025 in which global temperatures exceeded 1.5°C above the estimated 1850–1900 pre-industrial baseline.

The monthly breach of 1.5°C should not be interpreted as the Paris Agreement temperature limit having been permanently exceeded, as that target concerns long-term warming rather than an individual month. However, the latest reading adds to evidence of a persistently warmer global climate and the increasing frequency and intensity of temperature extremes.

Ocean temperatures reach another record

The warming extended across the oceans. Average sea surface temperature (SST) over extra-polar oceans, between 60°S and 60°N, reached 21.07°C in August, the highest recorded for the month. It exceeded the previous August record of 20.98°C set in 2023.

August’s extra-polar ocean temperature was also jointly the highest recorded for any calendar month, matching March 2024. The month additionally saw the highest daily global SST on record, at 21.11°C.

The tropical Pacific remained a major area of concern as El Niño conditions continued to intensify. C3S said these conditions are forecast to strengthen further in the coming months, potentially developing into one of the strongest El Niño events on record. The combination of global warming and unusually warm Pacific waters is already influencing weather conditions, including those favouring increased seasonal wildfire activity in Indonesia.

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Western Europe records hottest summer

Europe experienced particularly severe heat during the June-August period. Western Europe recorded its warmest summer on record, surpassing the previous record set in 2003.

The region endured a succession of exceptionally early, persistent and intense heatwaves beginning in May. August continued that pattern, while much of western, central and eastern Europe also experienced widespread dryness.

Severe drought conditions were reported in France, the UK, Hungary, Romania and Serbia. The prolonged lack of moisture also affected rivers, with the Rhine, Danube, Southern Bug and Dnieper recording exceptionally low flows. Other major rivers, including the Seine, Rhône, Loire and Glomma, also experienced exceptionally low seasonal flows.

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The impact was not limited to heat and drought. Parts of western Iberia, the Alpine region, northeastern Europe and eastern Türkiye experienced wetter-than-average conditions, with heavy rainfall triggering local flooding.

A wider warning from 2026

Globally, the June-August period was jointly the warmest summer on record, matching 2024. Taken together, the temperature, ocean and hydrological data point to a climate system experiencing increasingly pronounced extremes.

C3S said the August observations demonstrate how climate change is driving extremes across both the atmosphere and oceans, with consequences increasingly affecting communities, economies and ecosystems.

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