Copernicus says global mean surface air temperature reached 16.96 degrees Celsius in August, placing the month 1.65 degrees above the preindustrial baseline and level with July 2023 as the hottest measured. Extra-polar ocean surface temperature also reached its highest August measurement. One month above 1.5 degrees does not itself breach the Paris Agreement's long-term limit.
Copernicus measured global mean surface air temperature at 16.96 degrees during 2026-08. That was 0.85 degrees above the 1991–2020 average and 1.65 degrees above the 1850–1900 preindustrial baseline. The measured month drew level with 2023-07 as the hottest in the series and became the first month above the 1.5-degree threshold since 2025-11.[1]
Average sea-surface temperature outside the polar regions reached 21.07 degrees Celsius, a new August high. The Guardian reported that the monthly air-temperature peak arrived alongside this sea-surface high. Copernicus also said the boreal summer tied 2024 as the warmest measured, while western Europe had its warmest measured summer, moving ahead of 2003.[1], [2]
As reported by The Guardian, a single month more than 1.5 degrees above the preindustrial level does not mean the Paris Agreement's long-term temperature limit has been crossed. That limit is assessed over years. Copernicus's monthly measurement describes global temperature during a defined period; it does not by itself settle the agreement's longer-term test. The service also reports strengthening El Niño conditions across the equatorial Pacific.[2], [1]
