Besides being the warmest August on record, August 2026 trails only September 2023 as the warmest month ever recorded. The global average temperature blew past the 1.5°C UN threshold and delivered a scorching 1.71°C above the 1850 – 1900 average.
The land temperature was tied for 2nd warmest August ever, but the ocean temperature was the warmest of any month, ever.
There is now a 93% chance that 2026 will end as the warmest year on record and the annual average temperature is expected to exceed 1.5°C above 1850 – 1900.
The 26 August Nepal-Tibet glacier collapse that killed more than 1450 people (with nearly 6,000 still missing) is believed to have had global warming as a contributor.
Expect 2027 to be even hotter.