August 2026 was Earth's hottest month on record and the US had its hottest summer on record
The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that August 2026 was the hottest month ever recorded globally, with an average temperature of 16.96°C, tying or narrowly surpassing the previous record set in July 2023. The US NOAA separately announced that the June-through-August 2026 period was the hottest summer in the contiguous US in 132 years of recordkeeping, surpassing the 1936 Dust Bowl mark. Scientists attributed the records primarily to human-caused climate change compounded by a strengthening El Niño.
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- CNN+36 min
- Al Jazeera+2.6 h
- CBS News+3.6 h
- Reuters+9.6 h
- Deutsche Welle+13.3 h
- NPR+16.5 h
- NY Post+18.4 h
- Times of Israel+24.3 h
- The Hill+25.4 h
- ABC News+29.4 h
Broad agreement on what happened
Outlets across the spectrum land in roughly the same place: the shared language is highlighted.
“The US just had its hottest summer on record, beating the Dust Bowl era - CNN”CNN CNN LEFT
“August was world's joint-hottest month on record, scientists say” · Times of Israel, Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera, Reuters, The Hill, Le Monde