Climate scientists have confirmed August 2026 as the hottest month on record globally, with a recorded surface air temperature 1.65 degrees Celsius above the estimated pre-industrial average. The extreme heat led to severe drought in Western Europe and intense wildfires in Indonesia, while ocean temperatures also reached a record high. Experts predict that ocean temperatures will continue to rise until an El Niño weather pattern reaches its peak, which is expected to be one of the largest on record. The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that several regions around the world experienced unusually dry conditions in August 2026.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-10,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Global temperatures reached a record high in August 2026, surpassing previous highs set in 2023 and 2024. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which analyzed data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), the planet's average surface air temperature was 62.5 degrees Fahrenheit. This marks the first record-breaking month for global temperatures since January 2025 and the warmest August on record globally. August 2026 also marked the first time since November 2025 that global temperatures exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the pre-industrial average, reaching 1.65 degrees Celsius. This exceeds the 1.5-degree Celsius warming limit set in the Paris Agreement to avoid the worst impacts of human-amplified climate change. Climate scientists are warning that these extreme heat conditions are driven by climate change and will have severe consequences for communities, economies, and ecosystems worldwide.
Written for “Record Breaking Heatwave” on 2026-09-10,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but every quote it verified points left, so the score is not published.
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Leaning score withheld for article 7642: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-09-10
In short:
Climate data has confirmed August 2026 was the hottest month on record globally.
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August → confirm → record
The recorded surface air temperature for August 2026 was 1.65 degrees Celsius above the estimated pre-industrial 1850-1900 average.
What's next?
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What → record → average
Scientists predict ocean temperatures will continue to rise as an El Niño pattern reaches its peak.
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pattern → predict → peak
Climate data has been released confirming August 2026 as the hottest month on record after heatwaves and severe drought dominated Western Europe's warmest summer.
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heatwaves → release → summer
The recorded surface air temperature for August 2026 was 1.65°C above the estimated pre-industrial 1850-1900 average, with the period from June to August 2026 the joint-warmest on record globally, on par with 2024.
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period → record → 2024
The Copernicus Climate Change Service, which authored the report with data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), found the extreme conditions had coincided with exceptionally low river flows from the Rhine to the Danube, and had intensified wildfires across Indonesia.
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conditions → author → Indonesia
Samantha Burgess, from the ECMWF, said the observations revealed "how climate change is driving extremes across both the atmosphere and the oceans".
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change → say → atmosphere
"The impacts of these conditions are increasingly being felt by communities, economies and ecosystems across the world," Ms Burgess said.
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Burgess → feel → world
Earlier this month, a landmark report from the UN warned the world was unlikely to keep global warming below 1.8C, predicting that global temperatures would likely pass 1.5C above pre-industrial levels by 2030.
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temperatures → warn → 2030
The Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty signed in 2016, requires countries to take action to avoid dangerous warming by keeping temperature increases well below 2C and as close to 1.5C as possible.
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Agreement → sign → 1.5C
Scientists have repeatedly advised that keeping temperatures at or below the 1.5C target would "significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change".
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keeping → advise → change
The Copernicus report authors found that parts of North America, northern Siberia, central Asia, the Maghreb, and much of northern Australia were also drier than average in the same period.
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parts → find → period
El Niño turbocharges warming
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Niño → turbocharge → warming
The world's ocean temperatures also hit a record high in August, with scientists predicting the water would continue to get hotter until an El Niño weather pattern reached its peak.
University of Adelaide climate scientist Georgy Falster said the record was not unexpected due to the combination of ongoing global warming and the El Niño event.
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record → hit → warming
"El Niño itself is changing with climate change.
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Niño → change → change
So, this El Niño, it's likely to be very large, possibly the biggest one on record," she said.
uncertain
she → say → record
"And it is possible, although not guaranteed, that the strength of this El Niño is related to climate change."
Dr Falster said it was critical to mark the records as they took place.
"
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they → guarantee → place
We as a species need to keep reminding ourselves that what is happening is unprecedented," she said.
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she → need → ourselves
"So, I think it is actually very important to mark every time another record topples over."
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record → think → time
Dr Falster said she was hopeful that the extreme weather spurred governments to act.
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weather → say → governments
"There is absolutely no point at which we should stop trying to reduce the effects of future climate change," she said.
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she → be → change
"No matter when we start acting, or increasing our efforts, all of that makes the world a better place in the future."
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world → start → future
