UN data shows 2026 tracking toward top four hottest years

The World Meteorological Organization reported that 2026 is on track to become one of the four hottest years on record. The agency cited a powerful El Niño event and a continued warming trend that has persisted for more than a decade.

This year began with a global average temperature of 1.47 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial mean between January and September. The report noted that temperatures could climb further as the El Niño effect strengthens.

The data, drawn from nine separate data sets, indicates that every year from 2015 through 2026 ranks among the twelve warmest years since records began in approximately 1850.

John Kennedy, the WMO head of climate information, told reporters in Geneva that all available indicators point to the same conclusion. "We're seeing the heat trapped by greenhouse gases is showing up in the ocean, in the atmosphere, in the melting of ice and the rising of sea levels," Kennedy said.

The European Union's Copernicus climate service previously stated that 2026 is nearly certain to exceed the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold set in the 2015 Paris Agreement. The WMO report confirmed that ocean temperatures have continued rising from their 2025 all-time highs, and global mean sea levels have reached a new record due to expanding seawater and melting ice.

Nations are gathering in Turkey from November 9 to 20 for the next round of climate negotiations. The WMO's State of the Climate report provides the latest data for these discussions.