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Climate48 outlets ran this3 min read

August 2026 Tied as Hottest Month on Record Globally

Global average temperature reached 1.65°C above pre-industrial levels, Copernicus reports.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

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August 2026 Tied as Hottest Month on Record Globally

What this story says

  • August 2026 was the hottest month on record globally, tying with July 2023, the Copernicus Climate Change Service reported.
  • Global average temperatures in August 2026 were 1.65°C above pre-industrial levels, marking a return above the 1.5°C threshold.
  • Record sea surface temperatures were also recorded in August 2026, reaching 21.07°C away from polar regions.
  • The extreme heat was attributed to human-caused climate change combined with a strong El Niño event.

Who covered it

Left 44%(16)Centre 39%(14)Right 17%(6)

Percentages are shares of the 36 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 12 of the 48 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

86/100

Craft

95/100

Hype

15/100

48 sources · methodology

August 2026 was the hottest month on record globally, tying with July 2023, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. The global average temperature for the month was 1.65°C above pre-industrial levels, marking the first time since November 2025 that temperatures have exceeded the 1.5°C threshold. This level of warming is a key target for international climate agreements.

The record heat was attributed to human-caused climate change and a strong El Niño weather phenomenon. Sea surface temperatures away from polar regions also reached a record high for August, measuring 21.07°C. This tied with March 2024 as the highest sea surface temperature recorded across all months.

Divergent details on heatwaves and regional impacts

The Evening Standard reported that August continued a run of extreme heat that began in May, with severe drought conditions affecting the UK, France, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia. Major rivers such as the Rhine and Danube experienced exceptionally low flows. Other reports mention heatwaves in August continuing a trend of extreme heat since May, but do not specify the regions affected or river levels.

What the coverage left out

No right-rated outlet ran this story. The digests from centre-rated outlets did not mention specific regional impacts like drought in the UK, France, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia, or low river flows on the Rhine and Danube, details that were present in the full report from the Evening Standard.

Tags:#ClimateChange#GlobalWarming#AugustHeat#Copernicus#ElNino

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 10 Sept 2026, 03:30, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

16 rated outlets

  • The left-rated reports highlighted the record-breaking nature of August 2026, with many using headlines such as "August was world’s joint hottest month on record, scientists" (Evening Standard, perspectivemedia.com, The Independent, Irish News) or "August declared the hottest month ever recorded" (Politico Europe). Several reports noted the 1.65°C figure above pre-industrial levels and the return above the 1.5°C threshold, as seen in the Irish Examiner. The connection to human-caused climate change and burning fossil fuels was frequently mentioned, with Politico Europe stating record temperatures were caused by burning fossil fuels, and UOL noting the driver was burning fossil fuels and El Niño. The Evening Standard included quotes from experts like Samantha Burgess, who called it a "remarkable month", and Prof Friederike Otto, who stated the underlying driver remains "our relentless burning of fossil fuels". The Evening Standard also detailed regional impacts, including drought in the UK, France, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia, and low river flows on the Rhine and Danube.

Centre

14 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated reports also focused on August 2026 being the hottest month on record, with headlines like "August was the warmest month EVER recorded globally" (dailymail.com) and "Global heat stuck on high. Scientists say August was Earth's hottest month they've measured" (Ottumwa Courier, WBAL, Winnipeg Free Press, The Seattle Times, Associated Press News, WKMG, UOL, WTVB). These reports frequently attributed the heat to a "dangerous double whammy of human-caused climate change and a supersized El Nino" (Ottumwa Courier, WBAL, Winnipeg Free Press, Associated Press News, WKMG). The Copernicus Climate Change Service was consistently named as the source of the data. The Evening Standard, a centre-rated outlet, provided a full report detailing regional impacts such as drought and low river flows, and included quotes from climate experts and a government minister.

Right

6 rated outlets

  • The Times of India reported that August was the hottest month on record globally, noting record ocean temperatures and a US summer that surpassed Dust‑Bowl levels. The Straits Times echoed the joint‑hottest‑month claim. Berliner Morgenpost cited Copernicus data showing an average of about 17 °C, and Handelsblatt described extreme heat, drought and forest fires across Western Europe. khbrknews provided no substantive detail.
  • The Times of India linked the heat to human‑caused climate change and a strong El Niño, and warned that continued fossil‑fuel use could produce further records. The Straits Times added that climate change likely contributed to landslides and flash floods in Nepal and Tibet. Handelsblatt highlighted drought and large forest fires in Western Europe, while Berliner Morgenpost focused on the Copernicus temperature figure.
  • None of the right‑rated digests mention any cost estimates, specific policy proposals, or detailed mitigation strategies. They also do not name individual scientists; references to “scientists” remain generic. khbrknews offered only a placeholder link, contributing no factual content.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover August 2026 Tied as Hottest Month on Record Globally?
Of the 36 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 44% are rated left, 39% are rated centre, 17% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 48. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is August 2026 Tied as Hottest Month on Record Globally left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 36 rated outlets on this story, 44% are rated left, 39% are rated centre, 17% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of August 2026 Tied as Hottest Month on Record Globally biased?
August 2026 Tied as Hottest Month on Record Globally is one event reported by 48 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which outlets covered August 2026 Tied as Hottest Month on Record Globally?
48 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What was the global average temperature in August 2026?
The global average temperature in August 2026 was 1.65°C above pre-industrial levels. This marked the first time since November 2025 that global temperatures exceeded the 1.5°C threshold, a key target for international climate agreements.
What caused the record heat in August 2026?
The record heat in August 2026 was attributed to a combination of human-caused climate change and a strong El Niño weather phenomenon. This dual factor contributed to the extreme temperatures recorded globally.
Were sea surface temperatures also affected?
Yes, sea surface temperatures away from polar regions reached a record high for August 2026, measuring 21.07°C. This figure tied with March 2024 as the highest sea surface temperature recorded across all months.

Read it at the source

48 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

16
Show 8 more

Centre

14
Show 6 more

Right

6

Not rated

12
Show 4 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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