El Niño Is Still Strengthening. The Ocean Is Already Breaking Records

The world's oceans have reached their highest average surface temperature ever recorded, as the El Niño phenomenon continues to intensify and could potentially hit unprecedented levels. According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, the average sea-surface temperature across the oceans surpassed 21.1 degrees Celsius on August 22, 2026, narrowly outpacing the previous daily record of 21.09 C set in March 2024.

This record-breaking heat is particularly noteworthy, as global ocean temperatures usually peak in March and April following the austral summer.

Meteorologists attribute the record to El Niño's dominant presence in the Pacific Ocean, which is enhancing temperatures across other basins as well. The highest daily average temperature recorded across the world's oceans outside polar regions is 21.1 C, or about 70 F, reached on August 22. This temperature is just a fraction above the previous August record of 20.98 C, which was established in 2023.

Climate scientists warn that the record-breaking ocean temperatures are indicative of an ocean facing increasing stress. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts' Samantha Burgess emphasized that El Niño is exacerbating this situation, but it is also adding to the long-standing human-induced warming. The consequences of these rising ocean temperatures are already evident, with the number of globally occurring marine heatwave days more than tripling since the early 1990s, posing significant threats to marine ecosystems and communities reliant on them.

El Niño is a natural climate pattern in the tropical Pacific that occurs irregularly every two to seven years. During this phase, equatorial Pacific waters warm, trade winds weaken, and tropical rainfall patterns shift eastward. These alterations can disrupt weather and climate patterns worldwide. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported on August 13 that El Niño is strengthening and there is a more than 90 percent chance of a very strong event during the Northern Hemisphere fall and winter into 2027.

Such a strong El Niño could trigger another ocean record when the typical seasonal peak resumes in March.