Copernicus: Oceans Hit Hottest Temperatures on Record for July

The world’s oceans hit their highest temperatures on record for July, Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation program, reported today. Other stats of note for July 2026:

• Globally, the month was the joint second warmest July on record, tied with July 2024 and behind the record set in July 2023, with an average surface air temperature 1.47°C hotter than the estimated pre-industrial baseline (1850-1900 average).
• The average temperature for June–July for western Europe was the highest on record, at 21.62°C or 2.79°C above average, surpassing the previous record from 2022 and reflecting the exceptional persistence of heat since the beginning of summer.
• The average Sea surface temperatures for the extra-polar ocean (60°S–60°N) in July 2026 was the highest on record for the month, at 20.96°C, surpassing the previous July record of 20.89°C, which was set in 2023.
• Sea surface temperatures remained at exceptionally high levels across a large portion of the tropical Pacific, an area where current El Niño conditions are forecast to further strengthen in the coming months.
• Around Europe, Sea surface temperatures reached record highs for July along the Atlantic coast and western Mediterranean, associated with widespread strong or severe marine heatwave conditions.

Said Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF):

“July 2026 was the third consecutive month of exceptional heat in western Europe, bringing the combined temperature for June and July to a new record for the region. Persistent high-pressure systems trapped heat over western Europe, the extreme temperatures also amplified widespread drought. As soils dry out, they lose their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing heat to build more readily. This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another.”

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