Global temperatures reached 1.65°C above pre industrial levels in August, while record warm oceans, drought, wildfires and exceptionally low river flows underscored the intensifying impacts of climate change.
August 2026 tied July 2023 as the hottest month ever recorded globally with the average surface air temperature reaching 16.96°C according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), implemented by the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
The global temperature in August was 0.85°C above the 1991–2020 average and 1.65°C above the pre industrial level. It was also the hottest August on record, surpassing the previous joint record set in 2023 and 2024.
The month marked the first time since November 2025 that the global monthly average temperature exceeded 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level.
According to C3S the exceptional warmth was driven by continued human induced warming from greenhouse gas emissions, combined with strong El Nino conditions in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
Oceans reach record warmth
Global ocean temperatures also reached exceptional levels in August. The average sea surface temperature for oceans outside the polar regions was 21.07°C, the highest recorded for August and above the previous August record of 20.98°C set in 2023.
The August figure also tied the all month record set in March 2024.
Unusually warm conditions continued across the equatorial Pacific, reflecting the development of one of the strongest El Nino events on record. The combination of rising baseline temperatures and El Niño contributed to the extreme global heat observed during the month.
Contrasting rainfall extremes
The exceptional warmth was accompanied by sharply contrasting precipitation patterns across different parts of the world.
Southern parts of the United States and northern Mexico, parts of Canada, the Maghreb, the Horn of Africa, Siberia, large areas of Central Asia, China, South America, South Africa and northern Australia experienced drier than average conditions.
Meanwhile, eastern parts of the United States and Canada, Alaska, areas of western and eastern Russia, northern India and neighbouring parts of the Indian subcontinent, Chile, southeastern Brazil, eastern China, Taiwan and Japan recorded wetter than average conditions.
Similar contrasts were observed over the June–August summer period, with drought affecting several regions while others experienced above average rainfall.
Western Europe records hottest summer
Western Europe experienced its hottest June August period on record, surpassing the previous record set in 2003.
C3S said the region experienced a succession of unusually early, persistent and intense heatwaves during the summer. Much of western Europe, along with parts of central and eastern Europe, also recorded below average rainfall.
The combination of prolonged heat and dry conditions contributed to widespread drought and increased wildfire activity.
France, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Romania and Serbia experienced severe drought conditions. Several major European rivers, including the Rhine, Danube, Southern Bug and Dnieper, recorded exceptionally low flows.
Sea surface temperatures around Europe were also at record levels in August, particularly along the Atlantic coast and western Mediterranean, where severe marine heatwaves were observed.
Climate extremes intensifying
Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at ECMWF, said August 2026 represented a significant month in the global climate record, with both the warmest August and the joint warmest month ever recorded.
She said the combination of record global sea surface temperatures and the hottest summer on record in western Europe demonstrated how climate change is intensifying extremes across both the atmosphere and oceans.
The latest observations point to the growing effects of persistent global warming on communities, economies and ecosystems, with extreme heat, drought, wildfires, marine heatwaves and disrupted river systems increasingly occurring alongside contrasting rainfall extremes.