ReportAugust 2026 Tied the Hottest Month Ever — El Niño Peak Still AheadAired September 12, 2026 at 5:36 PM UTCWritten September 12, 2026 at 5:38 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:11The hottest month ever recorded came in at 1.65 degrees above pre-industrial levels.0:16The Paris Agreement's 1.5 degree target has now been breached in a single month for0:21the first time since November 2025, and the natural event behind part of this record0:26has not even reached its peak.0:27The El Niño feeding the heat is still strengthening, with a peak expected in the0:31northern hemisphere winter.0:32The question now is how much higher the coming months climb.0:35The record landed with the release of the September Climate Bulletin.0:39August averaged 1.65 degrees above the estimated pre-industrial level, 0.15 degrees0:45past the line the Paris Agreement set as its target, and the first month above that0:48line since November 2025.0:50Against the 1991-Y2020 average, August ran 0.85 degrees above normal.0:56This was not a blowout, it was a tie.0:58August averaged 16.96 degrees Celsius globally against 16.95 in July1:032023.1:04The gap is less than 0.01 degrees inside the uncertainty of the data set itself.1:09Both prior August records in 2023 and 2024 came in at 16.82 degrees.1:14The main announcement and most coverage describe a tie, but some materials call1:18August the warmest month on record outright.1:21The difference comes down to whether the two readings count as equal within the data1:25set's uncertainty.1:26Two forces push the anomaly together.1:28One is the long-term accumulation of greenhouse gas warming, which keeps the1:32baseline climbing year after year.1:34The other is an El Niño event described as unprecedented and still growing stronger,1:38one that could become one of the strongest on record.1:41The August record was set before that El Niño peaks.1:43The key detail is that August was set before the El Niño peaks.1:47The event's peak is expected in the northern hemisphere winter, roughly November1:51through January.1:52The extra warming could push some coming months as much as two degrees above average1:56on top of the greenhouse warming already present.1:58The heat behind the graph is already costing lives.2:01At least 35,000 excess deaths have been recorded across Europe's back-to-back heat2:06waves this summer, and that figure is a floor.2:09It covers only part of the period and part of the region.2:12so the true total is expected higher.2:14Western Europe baked through its hottest June-July on record, with daily peaks at or2:18above 40 degrees.2:19One pharmacy display in Paris read 43 on the 29th of July.2:23Globally, June through August was the joint warmest boreal summer, matching 2024.2:28Exceptionally dry conditions fueled wildfires across North America and Eurasia,2:32pushing thick smoke columns around the northern hemisphere and into the Arctic.2:36Seasonal fires in Indonesia were expected to intensify as the El Niño strengthens.2:41Arctic sea ice stayed near record lows and ocean surface temperatures outside the2:45polar regions hit a record high for August, the joint highest for any month.2:49The burden of a record global temperature is not spread evenly.2:53Those who can adjust air conditioning, health insurance, a car, a second home away2:57from the worst heat move out of the risk.2:59Outdoor workers, the elderly, the uninsured, and residents of dense heat islands are3:03the ones carrying the deaths.3:04So are parts of the world least cushioned against climate shocks even though they3:07have done least to cause the warming.3:09The August confirmation is a marker, not a finish.3:12The El Niño behind it is still building toward a winter peak, and the same record3:16warns of months pushing toward two degrees above average.3:19The 1.5 degree line the Paris Agreement set as a target has now been crossed in a3:23single month, and the month that crossed it was not the peak of the current natural3:26cycle.3:27The sharpened question is whether governments act on emissions and adaptation before3:31the next disaster or keep reacting after it.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗