Scientists have reported that the world's seas were hotter last month than in any July on record. The average sea surface temperature globally, excluding the cold polar regions, was the highest recorded for the month, exceeding the previous July record set in 2023.
The EU's Copernicus climate change service found that sea surface temperatures reached record highs for July along the Atlantic coast and in the western Mediterranean. This occurred as severe marine heatwaves affected Europe's seas and devastating heat impacted western Europe.
Data indicates that western Europe experienced its hottest June-July period on record. This period was 2.79C hotter than usual, surpassing the previous record from four years ago, and reflects what Copernicus described as an "exceptional persistence of heat" since the season began.
Surface air temperatures globally in July 2026 were marginally cooler than July 2024, by 0.01C, leading scientists to consider these two months as the joint-second warmest Julys on record.