August 2024 becomes hottest month on record globally as El Niño strengthens

Europe’s climate monitor announced on Thursday that August marked the hottest month ever recorded worldwide, as global temperatures over land and sea reached unprecedented levels. The agency attributed the extreme heat to a strengthening El Niño pattern, which is amplifying atmospheric warming and is expected to intensify further in the coming months.

The record‑setting temperatures capped a summer that saw a series of severe heatwaves and wildfires across the Northern Hemisphere, with western Europe and the contiguous United States each experiencing their hottest periods on record. Scientists warned that the combination of rising baseline temperatures and the evolving El Niño could lead to even more intense heat events, underscoring the accelerating pace of climate change worldwide.