Copernicus says August tied the record for Earth's hottest month
Earth's August average temperature effectively tied July 2023's monthly record, while NOAA said the contiguous United States had its hottest summer on record.
The Copernicus climate service calculated an August global average of 16.96 degrees Celsius, one-hundredth of a degree above July 2023 but within the measurement's uncertainty, making the months an effective tie. August was 1.65 degrees Celsius above the preindustrial baseline.
NOAA separately reported that June through August was the hottest summer measured in the contiguous United States. Scientists attributed the exceptional heat to human-caused climate change combined with a strong El Niño.