August 2023 was the warmest August on record, with significantly higher temperatures compared to the 1951-1980 average in most parts of the world.
13 per cent of the Earth’s surface experienced its locally warmest August average, and 65 countries (mostly in the tropics) witnessed their warmest August on record.
The global mean temperature in August was 1.68 (± 0.09) degrees Celsius above the 1850-to-1900 average.
The warming is driven by a combination of man-made global warming and natural factors such as the El Niño cycle.
The record-breaking temperatures are a sign that the Earth is getting close to the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming limit set by the Paris Agreement.
