August 2026 was the joint-hottest month ever recorded globally, with temperatures reaching 1.65C above preindustrial levels, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. This ties August 2026 with July 2023 for the hottest month on record.
Scientists noted that these temperatures were recorded before the El Niño weather system has made a significant impact. El Niño, a naturally recurrent phenomenon, is forecast to potentially be the most intense on record this year, likely reaching full strength towards the end of 2026.
Friederike Otto, a professor of climate science at Imperial College London, stated that while El Niño is increasing heat, the primary cause of high temperatures remains the burning of fossil fuels. The UN climate chief, Simon Stiell, also linked the extreme heat to humanity's "fossil fuel addiction."
The impacts of August's extreme heat are still being felt globally, including devastating wildfires, damage to harvests, excess deaths from heatwaves, and disruptions to transport, business, and public services. Food price inflation is likely to increase further due to smaller harvests.