Earth just had its hottest August on record – the 10th since 2016

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Earth just sweltered through its hottest August on record, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Friday, and the effects were felt around the planet. 

The Northern Hemisphere had its warmest summer, while the Southern Hemisphere had a near-record warm winter, and at both poles, sea ice coverage fell below average.

A view of the dried-out waterbed of the Lac du Broc due to drought near Nice, southern France, August 19, 2026. /VCG

Western Europe baked in August under heatwaves that capped off an exceptional run of extreme heat beginning in May. Severe drought conditions gripped France, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Britain.

Large parts of central and eastern Europe also dried out, in some cases since May. Major rivers, including the Rhine, Danube, Southern Bug and Dnieper, ran exceptionally low.

Part of the driver was El Niño, which also influenced tropical cyclones, heavy rainfall and floods in some countries, the WMO said.

The 10 warmest Augusts on record have all occurred since 2016, the agency said.