World ocean temperatures hit a record high for July this year, according to a new report from the European Union’s Copernicus climate monitoring service.

Sea surface temperatures, measured at 10 meters deep, averaged 20.96 degrees Celsius (69.7 degrees Fahrenheit) in July. This included all global oceans aside from the polar regions.

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The record was fueled by El Niño conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean—this climate event is typically marked by warmer ocean temperatures.

The E.U. monitor also found that July 2026 tied with July 2024 for the second-warmest July on record. Global average air temperatures last month were 16.9 degrees C (62.42 degrees F), just shy of July 2023’s record of 16.95 degrees C (62.51 degrees F).

Europe has seen three consecutive months of extreme heat. As a result, drier-than-average soil conditions and drought are rampant across Western and Central Europe, said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, in a statement. The tinderbox conditions also drove record-setting extreme wildfires across the continent.

“Persistent high-pressure systems trapped heat over western Europe, the extreme temperatures also amplified widespread drought,” Burgess said.

“As soils dry out, they lose their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing heat to build more readily,” she added. “This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another.”

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