August 2026 breaks record for hottest month ever
What's the story
According to the European climate service Copernicus, August 2026 was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth. The global average temperature for last month was 16.96°C, which is 1.65°C above pre-industrial levels and far beyond the long-term threshold of 1.5°C set by the Paris climate agreement in 2015. The eight hottest months on record have all occurred since July 2023, according to Copernicus data.
Record tie
August ties with July 2023 for hottest month
August 2026's temperature was just one-hundredth of a degree Celsius warmer than the previous record set in July 2023. However, this is within the uncertainty margin, so it is considered a tie.
In the United States, August 2026 shattered temperature records by more than half a degree Fahrenheit. The average temperature for the month was a scorching 75.58°F (24.21°C), with an average daytime high of 88.56°F (31.42°C).
Climate factors
Climate change fuels record heat, scientists say
While El Nino, a natural and temporary warming of parts of the Pacific, is contributing to the current heatwave, scientists say it is not as big a cause as heat-trapping gasses from burning fossil fuels.
"Climate change makes every El Nino hotter," said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London.
He added, "until we stop burning coal, oil, and gas these record-shattering months will simply keep on coming."