This October is on track to be the hottest ever recorded

Scientific American · Jackie Flynn Mogensen · 2026-10-30 15:45 UTC

Global projections suggest this October will be 1.76 degrees Celsius higher than preindustrial averages

This October is almost certainly going to be the hottest October ever recorded. Global temperatures this month are set to be around 1.76 degrees Celsius (about 3.17 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels, surpassing the previous record set in 2023, researchers predict.

An especially hot October also puts 2026 on track to be among the hottest years ever recorded—if not the hottest—according to projections from climate scientists Andrew Dessler and Zeke Hausfather. Their projection is based on data collected by the Europe-based Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).

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