August was the hottest month on record globally, report finds
The month's global temperature was 1.65°C above the pre-industrial average, according to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
August was the hottest month recorded globally, with temperatures reaching 1.65°C above the estimated pre-industrial average, according to a report from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
"August 2026 was a remarkable month in the global climate record," said Samantha Burgess, the strategic lead for climate for the ECMWF.
The record comes years after countries signed the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global temperatures from hitting or surpassing 1.5°C.
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While August's temperature being above this value does not mean the agreement failed, scientists are concerned that the impacts of climate change will increase as a result.
"Research [shows] that for some countries and vulnerable ecosystems, the risk of grave damage rapidly increases at less than 2°C of warming," author Tom Di Liberto wrote in an article posted by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Canada is warming at a rate much faster than before, according to the country's latest national climate assessment.
It reported that Canada has warmed by 2.0°C over the past 75 years, and Canada’s North has warmed at a rate faster than double the global average across land and oceans between 1948 and 2023.
As a result, Canada’s annual precipitation has increased and is expected to be more frequent and intense.
The federal government says although many of these changes are now irreversible, others could stabilize if global temperatures do.
For example, extreme weather events would decrease if net-zero emissions were reached.
For Ontarians, the federal assessment predicts that intense rain and snowstorms will become more common across Canada.
Freezing rain is also expected to increase in magnitude across central and western areas of the country.
Regions across Ontario have already experienced some of these extreme conditions this summer as intense storms led to heavy rainfall and flooding.
"Storms that swept across parts of Ontario on July 27 and July 28, and between August 1 and 3, caused nearly $360 million in insured damage," states an article posted by the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
The federal assessment also predicts that southern Canada could experience more droughts and extreme heat in the summer, threatening people’s health, infrastructure and ecosystems.
A 2025 federal analysis found that nine of the 10 Canadian heat waves were due to "human-caused climate change."
For residents of St. Catharines, the global record could lead to more heatwaves, heavier storms throughout the year and more frequent flooding events, which could cause further infrastructure and sewer damage.
These changes are already accounted for in St. Catharines’ Climate Adaptation Plan.
For residents, climate change could become increasingly noticeable in everyday life, from warmer winters to extreme rainfall and drought to hotter days in the summer.
August’s global temperature record does not mean St. Catharines will be affected by this right away, and it also does not mean that countries have failed goals outlined in the Paris Agreement.
Instead, it shows that the climate is changing at a concerning rate and communities will need to prepare for the effects.
With files from The Brock Press