Overview
- NOAA reported on Wednesday that the contiguous United States recorded its warmest meteorological summer on record, with a June–August average of 74.4°F that exceeded the previous 1936 and 2021 marks by 0.4°F.
- The Copernicus Climate Change Service found that August 2026 was one of the hottest months on record globally and that global surface air temperatures reached about 1.65°C above pre‑industrial levels while sea surface temperatures hit new daily and monthly highs.
- Analyses of ERA5 data shared by climatologists Zeke Hausfather and Ben Noll indicated August was the planet’s moistest month on record by precipitable water, raising the odds of more intense rainfall events.
- Observed impacts include rapid drought expansion to roughly 59.1% of the contiguous U.S., an unusually large U.S. wildfire season with more than 8.3 million acres burned, and deadly flash floods such as the late‑August Grand Canyon event.
- Climate services and models project a very strong El Niño peaking into late 2026 or early 2027, which increases the probability that 2026 or 2027 will rank among the warmest years and will prolong pressure on water supplies, public health and emergency response capacity.