Historic heat

By: St. Lucia Times

October 2026 was the warmest October ever recorded globally, and the year is now on pace to rank among the hottest ever measured.

The global average temperature for the month reached 15.35°C, about 1.75°C above the estimated pre-industrial average.

Copernicus Climate Change Service says 2026 is now virtually certain to finish at least 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and has about an 80 per cent chance of becoming the second-warmest year on record, behind 2024.

Copernicus is part of the European Union’s Earth observation programme and uses data from satellites, weather stations and other sources to track changes in the climate.

October was also the third straight month in which global temperatures were above the 1.5°C mark.

That level matters because countries have agreed to try to limit long-term global warming to 1.5°C. A single year above it does not mean the target has been permanently crossed, but scientists are closely watching how often those temperatures are reached.

The oceans were also unusually warm, with Copernicus recording the highest average sea surface temperature for any October outside the polar regions.