Global heat stuck on high. Scientists say August was Earth’s hottest month they’ve measured.

Earth sweltered through its hottest August on record in 2023, breaking a critical climate threshold, according to the European climate service Copernicus. The extreme heat was a result of human-caused climate change and a powerful El Nino, the agency reported. August's temperature of 62.53 degrees Fahrenheit (16.96 degrees Celsius) was only one-hundredth of a degree Celsius higher than the all-time global mark set in July 2023, making it a tie.

Nonetheless, it was still the hottest month ever measured by scientists. The eight warmest months on record have all occurred since July 2023, with the eight hottest months on record having all been from July 2023 onward, as per Copernicus data. Samantha Burgess, strategic climate lead for Copernicus, stated that the climate system is now operating well outside the range expected just a decade ago, transitioning from being an abstract concept to directly impacting daily lives.

Copernicus data starts from 1940, while NOAA data for the United States dates back to 1895, and global data, which generally aligns with Copernicus data but takes longer to compute, begins in 1880.