Copernicus EU Records August 2026 as Hottest Month Globally

Brussels (ANTARA) - August 2ng 2026 became the hottest month ever recorded globally, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service on Thursday (10/9).

Global average surface air temperatures reached 16.96 degrees Celsius, slightly above the previous record of approximately 16.95 degrees Celsius recorded in July 2023. This figure is 0.85 degrees Celsius higher than the average August temperature during the 1991-2020 period and 1.65 degrees Celsius higher than the estimated pre-industrial temperatures from the 1850-1900 period.

This marks the first month since November 2025 in which global monthly average temperatures have exceeded pre-industrial levels by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Western Europe also experienced its warmest summer in recorded history. A series of heatwaves that arrived much earlier, lasted longer, and were more intense since May have pushed average temperatures for the June-August period beyond the previous record set in 2003.

Ocean temperatures also reached record highs. Average sea surface temperatures across the extrapolar oceans between 60 degrees south latitude and 60 degrees north latitude reached 21.07 degrees Celsius in August, making it the highest temperature ever recorded for that month.

Sea surface temperatures remained very high in most parts of the tropical Pacific, where El Niño conditions are strengthening and potentially developing into one of the strongest phenomena in history in the coming months.

These records demonstrate that climate change is triggering extreme phenomena in both the atmosphere and the oceans, with increasing impacts on societies, economies, and ecosystems worldwide, said Samantha Burgess, strategic climate lead at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.