August became the hottest month on record, exceeding the world's natural temperature average by 1.65 degrees.
The European Union's (EU) Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) announced that last August went down in history as the hottest month ever recorded globally. The temperature measured in August 2026 surpassed July 2023, which was measured at 16.95 degrees, becoming the hottest month on record. According to the data, the global average surface air temperature in August was recorded as 16.96 degrees. This value was 0.85 degrees above the August average for the period 1991-2020.
The record temperatures were reported to be due to the unusual accumulation of heat in the atmosphere and oceans, resulting from the combination of human-induced climate change and the strengthening El Nino weather event in the Pacific Ocean. While a summer season surpassing the deadly heat of 2003 was experienced across Western Europe, in the UK, it was recorded as the hottest summer since 1884.
'EXTREMES IN ATMOSPHERE AND OCEANS'
Dr. Samantha Burgess, Director of Copernicus Climate Strategy, stated that August was an extraordinary period in terms of global climate records, saying, “The record levels of air and ocean temperatures clearly show how the climate crisis is triggering extreme weather events both in the atmosphere and in the seas. The effects of this situation are directly felt on societies and economies worldwide.”
The statement noted that Western Europe has left behind the hottest summer in history according to the latest data. It was warned that the increasingly intense El Nino effect will peak in the coming months, and therefore new global temperature records could be broken.
