The global surface temperature in July 2026 ran 2.12 degrees F (1.18 degrees C) above the 20th-century average, tying 2024 for the warmest July in NOAA's 176-year record [1]. The National Centers for Environmental Information published the finalized figures on August 11, the detailed follow-up to a preliminary monthly release the day before.
The distinction matters. This is a tie, not an outright new high. NOAA's language is exact: the month came in "tied with 2024 as the warmest July on record" [1]. The Fahrenheit and Celsius figures line up on their own terms, with the reported 1.18 degrees C converting to 2.12 degrees F.
The more durable finding sits one line down. In NOAA's words, "The past four Julys (2023-26) were the four warmest on record, with 2023, 2024, and 2026 each having a July temperature departure that exceeded +1.8 F (+1.0 C)" [1]. Four consecutive Julys now hold the top four slots, and three of them cleared a full degree Celsius above the long-run average.
Sea ice ran short of its own baselines as well. Global sea ice extent was the fourth-smallest for any July in the 48-year satellite record [1]. The Arctic logged its sixth-lowest July extent and the Antarctic its fifth-smallest, so both poles pulled the global figure down at once [1].
What the report does not do is assign a cause for the July warmth or forecast where the annual ranking lands. It is a monthly accounting, and a tied month resolves no argument by itself. The value is in the count: the warmest four Julys ever measured are the four most recent.
