World ocean temperatures hit extreme new record for July

July also saw its second-highest air temperatures on record this year

By Mary Randolph edited by Claire Cameron

The dried-up bed of Hollow Pond and Leyton Flats. — The dried and cracked bed of the depleted Hollow Pond and Leyton Flats near the area of Wanstead in East London on August 10, 2026, is pictured following weeks of hot, dry weather that led to more than half of England being declared to be in a drought.

HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

World ocean temperatures hit a record high for July this year, according to a new report from the European Union’s Copernicus climate monitoring service.

Sea surface temperatures, measured at 10 meters deep, averaged 20.96 degrees Celsius (69.7 degrees Fahrenheit) in July. This included all global oceans aside from the polar regions.

Bar chart of average July ocean surface temperatures for 1979–2026. Values climb from about 20.1 degrees Celsius in the 1980s to a record average of 20.96 degrees C in July 2026—0.58 degree C above the 1991–2020 average. The four hottest Julys all occur from 2023 to 2026. — Sanidhya Sharma; Source: ERA5 data, Copernicus Climate Change Service/European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

The record was fueled by El Niño conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean—this climate event is typically marked by warmer ocean temperatures.

The E.U. monitor also found that July 2026 tied with July 2024 for the second-warmest July on record. Global average air temperatures last month were 16.9 degrees C (62.42 degrees F), just shy of July 2023’s record of 16.95 degrees C (62.51 degrees F).

Europe has seen three consecutive months of extreme heat. As a result, drier-than-average soil conditions and drought are rampant across Western and Central Europe, said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, in a statement. The tinderbox conditions also drove record-setting extreme wildfires across the continent.

“Persistent high-pressure systems trapped heat over western Europe, the extreme temperatures also amplified widespread drought,” Burgess said.

“As soils dry out, they lose their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing heat to build more readily,” she added. “This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another.”

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American