August 2026 was the warmest month on record worldwide

Last August was the warmest in the world since records began. This was announced by the climate change service of the EU Copernicus program. The global average air temperature was 16.96 degrees Celsius. This means that August was also as warm as the warmest month ever measured, July 2023.

August 2026 was a remarkable month in global climate history, said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at Copernicus. Temperatures were 1.65 degrees above pre-industrial levels. It can be seen how climate change is driving extreme developments in both the atmosphere and the oceans. The impact of these conditions is increasingly being felt by societies, economies and ecosystems around the world, Burgess said.

The climate change service of the European Earth observation program Copernicus regularly publishes data on things such as surface temperature, sea ice cover and precipitation. The analyzes incorporate billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations from around the world. The data used for global average air temperature goes back to 1940, although earlier data is also available in some cases.

Heat record also in the world's oceans

Sea surface temperatures outside the polar regions also set a warm record in August. The monthly average was 21.07 degrees, which was above the previous highest value for the month of August of 20.98 degrees from 2023. It was therefore just as high as the previous highest average sea surface temperature of all calendar months under consideration in March 2024. In the area surrounding Europe, the sea surface temperatures reached record values ​​in August along the Atlantic coast and in the western Mediterranean.

According to Copernicus, the record temperatures are the consequences of global warming due to the burning of fossil fuels and rising sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, which are linked to a strong El Niño situation. El Niño is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that occurs every few years and also increases the likelihood of extreme weather events.

Warmest summer in Western Europe since records began

Globally, this summer, consisting of the months of June, July and August, was just as hot as the summer of 2024, the previous record holder. For Europe, it was the third warmest summer, behind 2024 and 2022. Western Europe experienced the hottest summer on record.

According to Copernicus, August was particularly dry in large parts of Western Europe and in some areas of Central and Eastern Europe. There were numerous large forest fires. Severe drought conditions were reported in France, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Romania and Serbia. According to the evaluation, the water levels of the major European rivers in the dry regions were exceptionally low, for example on the Rhine and Danube.

In contrast, the west of the Iberian Peninsula, the south of Greece, southern Turkey, Cyprus and northeastern Europe were wetter than average this summer, according to the EU climate service. Especially in August it was wetter in the Alpine region and in eastern Turkey. Heavy rainfall led to local flooding in several areas last month.

This article will continue to be updated.