October 2026 Was the Warmest October Ever Recorded Around the World

If October seemed particularly mild to you, it is because it was. A new heat record was set across the planet last month, with several U.S. cities also notching record heat. Here is a look back at the toasty October across the world.

New Global Warmth Record Set in October

Last month is going down in history as the warmest October ever measured on a global scale. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the global average surface air temperature came in at 59.6 degrees Fahrenheit (15.35 degrees Celsius). This reading was 1.6 degrees above the 1991 - 2020 average for October, putting it past the previous record of 1.5 degrees over the norm from 2023.

Over a dozen American cities have come in with the highest mean temperature compared to the historical average between September 1 and November 5. Pulling the lens out, October was 3.2 degrees above the 1850 - 1900 pre-industrial average across the world. October was also the third consecutive month above 2.7 degrees, or 1.5 Celsius, on average. It was only a year ago that the planet saw three straight months of temperatures hovering at least 2.7 degrees above the norm.

While one single month coming in above 1.5 Celsius does not mean that the planet has missed the goal outlined in the Paris Agreement, it does raise concern that this is becoming a worrisome trend. These consecutive readings add up when looked at over the whole year. For example, the global average temperature over the last 12 months was 1.1 degrees above the average recorded between 1991 and 2020, equating to 2.7 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

C3S analyzed past data to ascertain that it is "virtually certain" that 2026 will finish the year above the recommended 1.5 degrees Celsius. The forecasting agency predicts the final readings will come in between 1.56 and 1.61 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Should this prediction come to fruition, it would make 2026 the second year to eclipse this mark. The first year to reach the threshold was 2024.