03 / 10
August tied global record for hottest month
August matched the highest global monthly temperature in Copernicus’s record, with El Niño adding to long-term warming.
What happened
The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service found that August’s global average air temperature tied the record set in July 2023. The month was also more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial average. Scientists linked the heat to human-caused climate change and a strong El Niño.
Numbers
- 16.96°CAugust global average air temperature — Tied the monthly record
- 1.65°CAbove pre-industrial average in August — First such month since November 2025
- 0.01°CGap from prior monthly record — Within Copernicus’s uncertainty margin
Questions
- Why was August treated as a tie?
- The measured difference from the prior monthly high matched the dataset’s uncertainty margin, so Copernicus classified both months as joint records.
- What drove the exceptional warmth?
- Scientists linked exceptional warmth to human-caused climate change alongside a strong El Niño, which warmed parts of the equatorial Pacific.
- What else did the data show?
- Global sea-surface temperatures also matched their all-time monthly high, while Western Europe recorded its warmest summer in the dataset.
- Who is affected beyond heat exposure?
- Communities, economies and ecosystems face effects as extreme conditions affect health, infrastructure, businesses, marine life, reefs and coastal areas.
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
The catch
The record is based on Copernicus’s dataset, which begins in 1940, not a complete climate history.
Other datasets may use different methods.