August became the hottest month on record globally, surpassing a critical climate threshold, driven by the combined effects of human-caused climate change and a supersized El Niño, according to the European climate service Copernicus, reports BritPanorama.
The record high temperatures contributed to making this summer the hottest ever recorded for the Northern Hemisphere. Globally, August averaged 62.53 degrees Fahrenheit (16.96 degrees Celsius), which is marginally higher than the previous all-time record from July 2023, though it falls within the uncertainty range, leading experts to describe it as effectively a tie.
“It is now time to stop acting surprised that our warming planet keeps getting warmer. This is occurring exactly as forecast by scientists literally decades ago,” stated Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist from Texas A&M University. “The interesting question is not whether we will keep breaking heat records (we will), but whether we’re going to do anything about it or just stand there while the climate train runs us over.”
In August, global temperatures were 1.65 degrees Celsius (nearly 3 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, exceeding the long-term 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) threshold set by the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Notably, all eight of the hottest months on record have occurred since July 2023, according to Copernicus data.
“Our climate system is really operating well outside the range we would have expected just a decade ago,” said Samantha Burgess, strategic climate lead for Copernicus. “We’ve transitioned from climate being very abstract and perhaps impacting the global South to climate disrupting our daily lives with schools closing, hospitals being overwhelmed, and transportation systems struggling. The reality is we will see more of these extreme conditions.”
Global ocean temperatures in August also matched a record previously set in March 2024, with August 22 marking the hottest day ever recorded for the world’s oceans.
An extra hot summer hits
This summer has been particularly notable for breaking long-standing records, especially in the United States. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that the summer in the contiguous United States was hotter than during the peak of the Dust Bowl in 1936. June through August of 2026 averaged 74.37 degrees (23.54 degrees Celsius), exceeding the previous record set 90 years earlier.
In the U.S., August alone set heat records by surpassing the previous average by over half a degree Fahrenheit, with an average temperature of 75.58 degrees (24.21 degrees Celsius) and a record average high of 88.56 degrees (31.42 degrees Celsius). July also saw similar records that eclipsed historical benchmarks.
Experts suggest that the continuous record-breaking temperatures, particularly with August setting an all-time high instead of the traditionally warmer July, indicate a rapid acceleration of human-caused climate change. Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at Berkeley Earth, noted the consistent trend of rising temperatures.
Data from Copernicus dates back to 1940, while NOAA’s data reaches back to 1895. The global temperature records align with Copernicus but can take longer to analyse.
Fossil fuels, El Niño blamed
While El Niño contributes to the warming trend, it is the emissions from burning coal, oil and natural gas that remain the primary driver of the unprecedented heat, scientists assert. “While El Niño is starting to ramp up the heat, the underlying driver remains our relentless burning of fossil fuels,” stated Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London.
Burgess explained that during El Niño events, global temperatures may rise by an additional one or two tenths of a degree Celsius (two to four tenths Fahrenheit), but the vast majority of the heat stems from human activities.
This current El Niño is expected to strengthen in the months ahead, and as temperatures continue to climb, the frequency and severity of heatwaves, storms, floods, and wildfires are predicted to increase, according to Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University.
Hausfather added, “it is increasingly likely that 2026 will surpass 2024 as the warmest year on record, and almost certain that 2027 will exceed both, potentially reaching as high as 1.8 degrees Celsius (3.2 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels due to an exceptionally strong El Niño.”
Some days could see temperatures break the significant threshold of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above mid-19th century levels, Burgess noted.
“Until humanity stops burning colossal amounts of coal, oil and gas, the pollution this causes will keep baking our planet, and extreme heat will keep smashing all-time records, killing millions and costing trillions,” cautioned United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell. “This is the spiraling price of humanity’s fossil fuel addiction and the global climate crisis it is fueling.”
