Hottest August ever: Planet shatters records as North America and Western Europe bake in warmest summer on record

The planet just sweated through its hottest August ever recorded — and the Northern Hemisphere just endured its hottest summer on record.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said August 2026 set a new global heat record, as temperatures surged to 1.32° Celsius, or 2.38° Fahrenheit, above the 20th-century average. That is not just hot. It is historic.ncei.

NOAA said the August reading beat the previous record, jointly held by August 2023 and August 2024, by 0.08° Celsius. Its global temperature record stretches back to 1850.

June through August also became the Northern Hemisphere’s hottest meteorological summer ever measured. The Southern Hemisphere, meanwhile, logged a near-record warm winter.

A separate analysis by Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service put August about 1.65° Celsius above estimated preindustrial levels, tying July 2023 as the hottest month ever measured in its data set.

The message from the numbers is stark: Earth’s heat records are no longer rare. They are falling again — and faster.

That figure surpassed the previous joint records set in August 2023 and 2024 by 0.08°C (0.14°F).The three-month period from June to August — meteorological summer in the Northern Hemisphere — also set a new global record for warmth.

Earth just had the hottest August on record, accdg to @CopernicusECMWF C3S & @NOAA reports.

El Niño was one of the drivers of the climate in August. It also influenced global tropical cyclone activity, as well as heavy rainfall & floods in some countries.https://t.co/inHRMquudt pic.twitter.com/Twr5aH49Ol

— World Meteorological Organization (@WMO) September 13, 2026

North America and Western Europe both recorded their warmest summers on record. Africa posted its hottest August, while Asia logged its second-warmest.

Global ocean temperatures reached an all-time high for the month, fueled in part by ongoing El Niño conditions that produced exceptional warmth across large stretches of the central and eastern tropical Pacific.

Land areas also ran near-record hot. No region of the planet experienced record-cold temperatures in August.

A NOAA map of notable weather and climate events for the month illustrated the widespread impacts, ranging from extreme heat to heavy storms and other extremes across multiple continents.

Sea ice extent remained well below average in both the Arctic and Antarctic.

Global tropical cyclone activity was above normal, with 19 named storms forming during the month.

August 2026 was the warmest August on record. It was also the warmest summer on record for North America and Western Europe.

From record-high temperatures to heavy storms, This map from @NOAA shows the recent weather & climate events around the world. https://t.co/uzEoTDVkoQ pic.twitter.com/59fHdhsBBH

— World Meteorological Organization (@WMO) September 11, 2026

The consecutive record-breaking months continue a clear long-term pattern: all 10 of the warmest Augusts on record have occurred since 2016.

Scientists attribute the sustained high temperatures primarily to the accumulation of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, with the current El Niño providing an additional short-term boost.

As the planet moves deeper into a strengthening El Niño that is forecast to persist into early 2027, experts warn that extreme heat, heavy rainfall, and other climate-related hazards are likely to remain elevated in the months ahead.

The latest data underscore the intensifying pace of global warming and its growing impact on weather patterns worldwide.

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