2026 Projected To Be Second-Hottest Year On Record, EU Climate Monitor Says

By Trending9ja Staff • November 6, 2026 • 1 min read

The year 2026 is on track to become the second-warmest year in recorded history, according to the European Union's climate tracking agency, Copernicus Climate Change Service, as reported by Punch.

In a monthly bulletin, Copernicus revealed that there is still a 20 percent probability that 2026 could equal or surpass 2024 as the hottest year ever logged. The monitor noted it is virtually certain that global temperatures throughout 2026 will rise more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The four-year average spanning from 2023 to 2026 is also projected to top the 1.5-degree Celsius limit established under the Paris Agreement to limit severe climate damages. Furthermore, Earth recently experienced its warmest October ever recorded, with surface air temperatures reaching 1.75 degrees Celsius above the 1850 to 1900 benchmark.

Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, stated that a powerful El Nino pattern is injecting extra heat into a system already warmed by human actions. She noted that October was the third straight month to exceed the 1.5-degree benchmark.

These findings come ahead of the United Nations COP31 climate conference scheduled to take place in Turkey. Forecasters also warned that the current El Nino cycle could potentially propel 2027 to become the hottest year on record.

Sources: Punch