August 2026 Sets Global Heat Record, Ocean Temperatures Reach Unprecedented Levels
SCMP · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
The EU Copernicus Climate Change Service confirmed Thursday that August 2026 was the hottest single month ever recorded globally, with average surface air temperature reaching 16.96 degrees Celsius and ocean temperatures also hitting unprecedented highs . The record surpasses the previous all-time monthly high set in July 2023 by just 0.01 degree, prompting the United Nations to warn that the planet will continue pushing deeper into uncharted territory until humanity abandons fossil fuels . Western Europe simultaneously experienced its warmest summer on record, with a succession of exceptionally early, persistent and intense heatwaves since May pushing June-August temperatures above the previous record set in 2003 .
Key Points
- Global average surface air temperature in August 2026 was 16.96 degrees Celsius, 0.85 degrees above the 1991-2020 average and 1.65 degrees above pre-industrial 1850-1900 levels
- The month marked the first since November 2025 when global average temperature exceeded pre-industrial levels by more than 1.5 degrees
- Average sea surface temperature across extra-polar oceans reached 21.07 degrees Celsius, the highest ever recorded for August, extending a three-month streak of record ocean warmth
- Copernicus observations date back to 1940, though ice cores, tree rings and coral skeletons provide longer historical context
- More than 90 percent of excess heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions has been absorbed by the oceans, sparing land from even greater warming but at severe cost to marine ecosystems
- El Nino conditions in the tropical Pacific are strengthening and could develop into one of the strongest events on record in coming months
Why It Matters
The extreme heat of August 2026 demonstrates that greenhouse gas emissions, which rose to new highs in 2025 despite global climate pledges, continue driving temperatures to unprecedented levels . The UN climate chief Simon Stiell described the findings as "the spiralling price of humanity's fossil fuel addiction," warning that the planet faces deepening consequences until fossil fuel dependency ends .
The extreme heat of August 2026 demonstrates that greenhouse gas emissions, which rose to new highs in 2025 despite global climate pledges, continue driving temperatures to unprecedented levels . The UN climate chief Simon Stiell described the findings as "the spiralling price of humanity's fossil fuel addiction," warning that the planet faces deepening consequences until fossil fuel dependency ends .