August world's joint hottest month on record
Scientists from the Copernicus Climate Change Service report that August 2026 was tied as the world's hottest month on record. The data highlights a return to temperatures exceeding the 1.5C threshold above pre-industrial levels, driven by fossil fuel emissions and El Nino.
Why it matters
Breaching the 1.5C threshold signals an acceleration in climate change, increasing the risk of severe weather events and ecological collapse.
August was the world's joint hottest month on record, with global temperatures 1.65C above pre-industrial times, scientists have said.
Last month tied with July 2023 for the hottest calendar month in the temperature records, as well as the hottest August ever recorded for the world, scientists from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service said.
Western Europe has experienced its warmest summer on record, surpassing the previous record set in 2003, Copernicus said.
Heatwaves in August continued a run of extreme heat that began in May; severe drought conditions have hit the UK, France, Hungary, Romania and Serbia, and major rivers from the Rhine and Danube to the Dnieper experienced exceptionally low flows, the Copernicus scientists said.
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