Europe faces extreme summer, August sets temperature record in 125,000 years

The European continent has experienced one of the hottest summers on record, with record temperatures accompanied by a significant increase in heat-related deaths.

Data released by the European climate monitoring service, the Copernicus Climate Change Service, show that August 2026 was the warmest month ever recorded. The global average air temperature reached 16.96°C.

“In the history of global climate, August 2026 is an unusual month,” said Samantha Burgess, a scientist at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).

Burgess noted that temperatures during this period are extremely high compared to Earth’s climatic past. According to her, humanity has likely not faced such levels for at least 100,000 years.

With a global average of 16.95°C, July 2023 remains the hottest month on record so far, just slightly below the August 2026 record.

The June-to-August period of this year also ranks among the warmest on record, with values close to those of summer 2024.

Scientists have also analyzed climate data predating 1940, when modern systematic measurements began. These estimates suggest that the current period may be the warmest the planet has experienced in about 125,000 years.

Simon Stiell, head of the UN climate agency, said that as long as humanity continues to burn large amounts of coal, oil and gas, the resulting pollution will keep overheating the planet, while extreme heatwaves will set new records.

According to Stiell, the solution path is clear and includes accelerating the shift to cleaner energy sources, as well as protecting forests and oceans.

The climate phenomenon El Niño has also contributed to the rise in ocean temperatures this year. It has also played a role in the occurrence of extreme weather patterns, including droughts and floods.

Experts warn that the effects of El Niño are becoming even stronger due to climate change.

Friederike Otto, professor of climate science at Imperial College London, stated that climate change makes every El Niño episode warmer. She stressed that as long as coal, oil and gas burning continues, record temperature months will follow one after another.

According to Copernicus, during August the global average temperature stood 1.65°C above the pre-industrial level. This value significantly exceeds the more ambitious 1.5°C target of the Paris climate agreement and has been exceeded for the first time since November 2025.