August was the hottest single month ever recorded globally, tying for the warmest month since 1940. The global average air temperature for the month was 1.65°C above the pre-industrial reference value, breaking the previous record set in 2023 and putting it on par with July 2023 for global warmth.
Regional heat records were also shattered. Western Europe experienced its warmest measured summer, breaking the temperature record set in 2003. In the United States, summer temperatures similarly shattered heat records. Additionally, scientists indicated that climate change likely played a role in flash floods and landslides in Nepal and Tibet.
The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service and other scientists attribute the heat surge primarily to human-caused climate change, although the strengthening influence of El Niño helped boost temperatures. Experts warn that these record-shattering months will continue until the burning of coal, oil, and gas stops, as climate change makes every El Niño hotter. With warmer oceans and record summer heat in the northern hemisphere, scientists say this is part of a new normal and more records could be broken in the months ahead.