September 2026 ranks as second hottest on record, Copernicus says
Copernicus Climate Observatory reports September 2026 as the second hottest globally, with ocean temperatures rising and El Niño intensifying.
Key Takeaways
AIThe European Copernicus Climate Change Service has announced that September 2026 was the second hottest September ever recorded since climate data collection began, with global average temperatures exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the second consecutive month.
The observatory, part of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, stated that the average surface air temperature in September reached 16.27°C, an increase of 0.82°C compared to the 1991–2020 average.
Global temperatures were 1.63°C higher than the pre-industrial period of 1850–1900, while the month was 0.11°C cooler than September 2023, which remains the hottest on record.
Record ocean temperatures and intensifying El Niño
The observatory noted that sea surface temperatures between 60 degrees south and 60 degrees north reached a record high for September, averaging 21.05°C and surpassing the previous record set in 2023.
Water temperatures in the "Niño 3.4" region of the Pacific Ocean reached 29.70°C, a record level exceeding peaks seen during strong El Niño events in 1982–1983, 1997–1998, and 2015–2016. This reflects the current intensity of El Niño and expectations that it will continue to strengthen in the coming months.