Last month tied July 2023 as the hottest month recorded worldwide, with temperatures 1.65C above preindustrial levels, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said Thursday. August 2026 was the first month since November 2025 to exceed 1.5C of global warming. Western Europe just completed its hottest summer on record, eclipsing a mark set in 2003. In another sign of the planet heating up, sea-surface temperatures across most of the world’s oceans are expected on Thursday to mark their 100th straight day at record levels for the time of year, according to an analysis by Climate Central, an independent nonprofit in Princeton, N.J. Daily sea-surface temperatures outside the polar regions have been at record levels since June 2, according to the analysis, which uses data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Related:

• NPR: This summer was hot. August shattered global heat records
• Los Angeles Times: California survived the hottest August on record without needing Flex Alerts. Here’s why
• Yale Climate Connections: Blog: Earth just had its hottest August on record