May 2026 Ranks Second-Warmest Ever
The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported that global average surface air temperature during May 2026 reached 15.81 degrees Celsius, surpassing the 1991-2020 baseline by 0.55 degrees Celsius. The figure trailed only May 2024 and exceeded estimated pre-industrial levels by a alarming 1.42 degrees Celsius.
Ocean surface temperatures between 60 degrees south and 60 degrees north latitude averaged 20.90 degrees Celsius, representing the second-highest May reading ever documented, as the tropical Pacific accelerates its transition toward anticipated El Niño conditions expected in coming months.
Western Europe bore the full force of an early, ferocious heatwave throughout May's second half, with France, Britain, Ireland, Spain, and Portugal shattering numerous local temperature records. Certain regions recorded "feels-like" temperatures between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius.
"In Europe, an unusually early and intense heatwave demonstrates how quickly climate extremes are becoming the new normal rather than the exception," warned Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
The C3S cautioned that sustained warming trajectories, persistently elevated ocean temperatures, and emerging El Niño developments collectively underscore intensifying risks of increasingly frequent and devastating climate extremes threatening communities worldwide.
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