Washington: August 2026 was the warmest August globally since records began in 1850, driven by all-time peak ocean temperatures, according to a new report by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

According to Anadolu Agency, August surpassed the previous record set in 2023 and 2024 by 0.08°C, with global surface temperatures averaging 1.32°C above the 20th-century norm. This event marked the 48th consecutive August with global temperatures exceeding the 20th-century average, with the ten hottest Augusts all occurring since 2016.

The June-to-August meteorological season was also recorded as the warmest three-month stretch globally. NOAA reported that the Northern Hemisphere experienced its warmest summer, while the Southern Hemisphere had a near-record warm winter. Global sea surface temperatures reached unprecedented highs, driven by persistent El Nino conditions across the central and eastern tropical Pacific. Land temperatures were near-record warm as well, while sea ice extent decreased below average across both the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

In the contiguous United States, this summer was the hottest on record in its 132-year historical record, surpassing previous highs set in 1936 and 2021 by 0.22°C. The nationwide average temperature in August was 24.2°C, marking it as the warmest August on record across the lower 48 states since 1895, with daytime maximum temperatures averaging an unprecedented 31.4°C.