GENEVA, 12th August, 2026 (WAM) - Record land and sea surface temperatures, heat, drought, fire and floods defined the state of the climate in July and early August.
Extreme heat, persistent drought and dangerous wildfires have been the hallmarks of northern hemisphere summer for many countries, whilst heavy rainfall and flooding have caused loss of life in other parts of the world.
The continuing series of high-impact weather and climate events once again underscores the need for reliable and timely forecasts and early warnings, and for monitoring and information services from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) community to limit the cascading impacts on society and economies.
Globally, it was the joint warmest July on record – tying with July 2024, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
“Climatologically, July is the warmest month of the year. July 2026 and 2024 are more likely than not the warmest months on record for the globe since 1850,” said NOAA.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service, implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) said it was the second warmest July on record, with an average surface air temperature 1.47°C hotter than the estimated pre-industrial baseline (1850-1900 average).
Global sea surface temperatures were the highest ever recorded for the month of July, according to both NOAA and Copernicus. The ten warmest Julys on record have all occurred since 2016, with the past four years (2023–2026) taking the top four spots.