October 2026 Becomes Hottest Month on Record Globally
October 2026 tops all records as the planet’s hottest month, with global temps 1.5°C above pre‑industrial levels and El Niño driving record heat.
POLICY WIRE — New York, USA — Earth recorded its highest‑temperature October in history, according to data compiled by the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
The month’s average surface air temperature eclipsed all previous Octobers, marking the third consecutive month where global heat sat more than 1.5°C above pre‑industrial levels.
Analysts now expect 2026 to rank as the planet’s second‑warmest year on record, with roughly a 20 % chance of matching or surpassing 2024, the current warmest year.
Statistical projections based on ERA5 observations suggest that 2026 is virtually certain to push the annual global mean beyond the 1.5°C threshold, a milestone previously reached only in 2024.
Although the ten warmest Octobers have all occurred within the last decade, the 2026 reading is unlikely to claim the top spot; Europe, however, logged its second‑warmest October on record.
Ocean surface temperatures also set an October record, and El Niño measurements in the Niño 3.4 region exceeded the peaks of three earlier strong events, intensifying heat as the COP31 climate summit opened.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)