NOAA’s global analysis found July 2026 was 1.18°C above the 20th-century average, tying July 2024 as the warmest July in its 147-year record. Even more striking, the four Julys from 2023 through 2026 are now the four warmest ever measured by NOAA.
Copernicus uses a different dataset and ranks July 2026 slightly differently. Its ERA5 analysis puts the month at 16.90°C globally, about 1.47°C above the pre-industrial average, making it essentially tied with July 2024 for second place behind July 2023.
The oceans tell an even more remarkable story. NOAA found global ocean surface temperatures were the highest ever recorded for any July, while Copernicus also recorded its hottest July sea-surface temperatures across the extra-polar oceans