Ocean Surface Temperatures Hit Record High in July 2026

Ocean surface temperatures in July reached their highest levels ever recorded, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service announced on August 10, 2026. The agency reported that the average sea surface temperature outside the polar regions was 20.96 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous record of 20.89 degrees Celsius set in July 2023. The record was driven by a rare and powerful El Niño event that has intensified global weather patterns this year.

The Copernicus data indicates that July 2026 also tied with July 2024 as the second-warmest July on record for global average air temperatures, trailing only the record set in 2023. Scientists attribute the extreme ocean heat to a strong El Niño, a natural climate phenomenon characterized by warmer-than-average waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific. This year’s El Niño, which officially began on June 11, has been described by researchers as historically strong and is on track to become the most intense ever recorded, with its effects expected to peak late this year and into 2027.

The consequences of this marine heatwave are already being felt across the globe. In western Europe, the summer has been the...