Oceans in July 2026 Hottest on Record
The European observatory Copernicus has released alarming data for July 2026, sea surface temperatures reached a record 20.96°C, while Western Europe experiences unprecedented heatwaves and drought.
The European observatory Copernicus has released alarming data for July 2026, sea surface temperatures reached a record 20.96°C, while Western Europe experiences unprecedented heatwaves and drought.
The average sea surface temperature of the world's oceans in July 2026 rose to 20.96 degrees Celsius, the highest level ever recorded for that month, the European climate change observatory Copernicus announced on Monday, August 10. The new record surpassed the previous one from July 2023, when 20.89°C was measured.
The data excludes polar regions, and the situation in Europe is particularly concerning. "Sea surface temperatures reached record levels for July along the Atlantic coast and the western Mediterranean, in connection with widespread conditions of strong or severe marine heatwave," Copernicus reported.
Air temperatures have not been spared either. With an average global temperature of 16.90°C, a deviation of +1.47°C compared to the pre-industrial period, July 2026 ties with July 2024 as the second hottest July ever recorded. The first place is still held by July 2023.
Western Europe experienced the "hottest June-July period ever recorded," and Copernicus notes an "exceptional series of heatwaves" that has been ongoing since May. The cause lies in climate change driven by the accumulation of greenhouse gases from human activities, such as the use of fossil fuels and deforestation.
Temperatures remained "at exceptionally high levels over much of the tropical Pacific," and current El Niño conditions are expected to intensify further in the coming months. This natural climate phenomenon warms the waters of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, altering global patterns of winds, pressure, and precipitation, and further impacting global temperatures.
Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), warned of a mechanism that further exacerbates the situation. "These extreme temperatures have also intensified widespread drought" in several Western European countries, including France and Spain, she said. "As the soil dries out, it loses its ability to cool naturally, which favors the accumulation of heat."
Burgess highlighted that this is a "clear example of how climate change amplifies extreme heat, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing each other." Data show that surface soil moisture levels in Western Europe in July 2026 were "significantly lower" than in July 2022, which was marked by severe drought across the continent.
Laurence Rouil, Director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, linked climatic conditions to devastating fires. "Climate change is increasingly leading to hot and dry conditions that favor large, high-intensity forest fires in southern Europe, while extending the fire season northward," she said.
Rouil emphasized that these fires have "an impact on air quality not only at the local level, but also across the entire region," posing an additional threat to public health. Since the 19th century, the average temperature of the Earth has risen by 1.3°C, and scientists are certain that this warming, unprecedented in its speed, is a result of human activities.
