Earth recorded its hottest month in history this past August, surpassing a critical climate threshold due to a combination of human-caused climate change and a powerful El Niño. Data from the European climate service Copernicus shows that the extreme heat pushed global and United States temperatures to unprecedented heights, marking the hottest Northern Hemisphere summer ever measured by scientists.
During August, the global average temperature reached 62.53 degrees Fahrenheit (16.96 degrees Celsius). This average technically exceeded the previous all-time global record set in July 2023 by one-hundredth of a degree Celsius. However, because this tiny difference falls within the margin of uncertainty, scientists consider the two months to be in a statistical tie, according to Samantha Burgess, the strategic climate lead for Copernicus.
Climate scientists emphasize that these soaring numbers are part of an ongoing, predictable trend. Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist at Texas A&M University, noted in an email that society must stop acting surprised by the continuous warming of the planet, as it aligns precisely with forecasts made by scientists decades ago. Dessler pointed out that the crucial question is no longer whether records will continue to fall, but rather whether humanity will take action or simply watch the climate crisis unfold.
Globally, August's average temperature stood at 1.65 degrees Celsius (nearly 3 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. This figure significantly exceeds the 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) limit targeted in the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Highlighting the rapid pace of warming, Copernicus data reveals that the eight hottest months ever recorded have all occurred consecutively from July 2023 onward.
Speaking from a heatwave-stricken United Kingdom, Burgess explained that the global climate system is now operating far beyond what scientists expected just a decade ago. She remarked that climate impacts have shifted from abstract concerns affecting distant regions or the global South to disruptions in daily life. Across various regions, these extremes are manifesting as school closures, overwhelmed hospitals, melting asphalt, and buckling railway lines, with more of these severe conditions expected in the future.
The extreme heat also severely impacted the world's oceans. In August, global monthly ocean temperatures tied the all-time record for the warmest month ever recorded, which was previously set in March 2024. Furthermore, August 22 marked the hottest single day ever recorded in the world's seas, according to Copernicus records.
In the United States, the summer of 2026 broke long-standing historical records. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that summer in the contiguous United States was hotter than during the peak of the devastating Dust Bowl era in 1936. From June through August of 2026, temperatures in the Lower 48 states averaged 74.37 degrees Fahrenheit (23.54 degrees Celsius), which is nearly four-tenths of a degree warmer than the previous high set 90 years earlier. Globally, this past summer tied with 2024 as the hottest on record.
August specifically shattered U.S. heat records by more than half a degree Fahrenheit, averaging 75.58 degrees Fahrenheit (24.21 degrees Celsius). The average daytime high reached a record-breaking 88.56 degrees Fahrenheit (31.42 degrees Celsius). This followed an exceptionally hot July, which had also erased a long-standing U.S. Dust Bowl record.
Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at Berkeley Earth, observed that the regular shattering of records—and the fact that August, rather than the traditionally warmer July, set an all-time high—indicates that human-caused climate change is accelerating. He noted that while Copernicus records date back to 1940, NOAA's historical database for the United States extends to 1895, and its global data goes back to 1880.
While a natural El Niño event in the Pacific Ocean contributed to the extreme weather, scientists stressed that it is not the primary driver. Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London, explained that while El Niño is boosting temperatures, the underlying cause remains the relentless burning of fossil fuels. She warned that climate change intensifies every El Niño, and record-breaking months will continue until the burning of coal, oil, and gas stops. Burgess added that El Niño typically adds only one or two tenths of a degree Celsius (two to four tenths of a degree Fahrenheit) to global temperatures, with the vast majority of the heat driven by greenhouse gases.
Looking ahead, the current El Niño is projected to reach record-breaking strength in the coming months. Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech, warned that as global temperatures rise, extreme events like heatwaves, storms, floods, and wildfires will become increasingly frequent and dangerous. Hausfather estimated that 2026 is highly likely to surpass 2024 as the warmest year on record, with 2027 almost certain to break both records, potentially reaching up to 1.8 degrees Celsius (3.2 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. Burgess noted that individual days could even breach the 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) threshold.
United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell emphasized the severe economic and human toll of the crisis, stating that until humanity halts the massive burning of coal, oil, and gas, the resulting pollution will continue to bake the planet. He warned that extreme heat will continue to break records, killing millions, costing trillions of dollars, disrupting transport and healthcare systems, and driving up the cost of basic household items like food. Stiell characterized the situation as the escalating price of fossil fuel addiction and the global climate crisis it fuels.
"This summer has really been exceptional. We've seen records that existed for close to 100 years be broken, in the U.S. in particular," Burgess said.
Several scientists said while El Nino is a factor, this natural and temporary warming of parts of the Pacific that warps and warms weather globally is nowhere as big a cause as the heat-trapping gases emitted as humans burn coal, oil and natural gas.
