Environment & Climate

August ties global record as hottest month, European monitor says

Global air temperatures reached 1.65 degrees Celsius above preindustrial averages amid fossil fuel emissions and El Niño conditions.

Updated Sep 10, 2026 · 10:47 UTC3 reports

Latest update: Summer temperatures broke historical heat records across Western Europe and the contiguous United States.

The short version

August 2026 tied July 2023 as the hottest month ever recorded worldwide, averaging 16.96 degrees Celsius according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.[NPR · The Guardian · Deutsche Welle]
Global temperatures reached 1.65 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels during the month, driven primarily by fossil fuel emissions alongside El Niño effects.[The Guardian · Deutsche Welle]
Regional heat broke long-standing records, including the warmest summer on record in the contiguous United States, which surpassed the 1936 Dust Bowl peak.[NPR]

August 2026 tied July 2023 as the joint-hottest month ever recorded globally, according to the EU Copernicus Climate Change Service.[The Guardian]
Global air temperatures averaged 16.96 degrees Celsius during August, which sits within the one-hundredth of a degree Celsius measurement uncertainty level relative to July 2023.[NPR · Deutsche Welle]
Global average temperatures reached 1.65 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels throughout August.[The Guardian]
The contiguous United States experienced its warmest summer on record from June through August 2026, exceeding levels recorded during the 1936 Dust Bowl.[NPR]

Whether August 2026 strictly exceeded July 2023 remains uncertain because the 0.01 degree Celsius difference falls within the dataset's margin of error, leading scientists to classify it as a statistical tie.[NPR]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.