Around 900 million people across the globe experienced their hottest July on record in 2026, with 33 countries breaking temperature records since measurements began.
The analysis, based on billions of data points from the European Copernicus programme’s ERA5 climate model, reveals unprecedented heat across the Sahel region in Africa, Central America and parts of Europe.
France and Spain independently confirmed the record-breaking conditions through their national meteorological services, Meteo-France and AEMET.
The Copernicus dataset combines observations from satellites, weather stations on land, at sea and in the air, along with climate modelling. It provides hourly global coverage dating back to 1970.
Sahel region records temperatures more than 2°C above average
Nearly 400 million of the affected people live in Africa, primarily within the Sahel region.
Ten countries in the semi-arid belt across western and northern Africa broke their monthly heat records for July, including Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso. In eastern Africa, Sudan, Kenya and Ethiopia also experienced record temperatures.
Countries such as Chad and Sudan recorded July temperatures more than 2°C above the 1981-2010 average, despite temperature variations in equatorial regions typically being smaller than in temperate climates.
Scientists from the World Weather Attribution network warned in January that episodes of extreme heat have become almost 10 times more likely since 2015, attributing the rise to human-driven climate change.
Sahel countries are among the most vulnerable to rising temperatures, with many already facing armed conflict, food insecurity and widespread poverty.
Food insecurity threat grows in Central America
The El Niño climate pattern, which began in June and is expected to peak later this year, has amplified unprecedented temperatures across Central America and northern South America.
From Mexico to northern Brazil, approximately 110 million people experienced their hottest July on record.
El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras, located in the Dry Corridor, set monthly temperature records in both June and July, raising concerns over famine.
The United Nations World Food Programme said last week that Central America is expected to be the region hardest hit in terms of the relative increase in food insecurity. The agency estimates that an additional 16 million people in Central America and the Caribbean could face food insecurity by the end of 2027.
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Wildfires devastate France and Spain
Nearly 120 million Europeans live in regions where July 2026 was the hottest ever recorded, with records concentrated in southern Britain, western France, and northern and eastern Spain.
In France, average temperatures were 3.8°C above the 1991-2020 normal, a reference period already significantly warmer than the pre-industrial climate of 1850-1900.
Both France and Spain registered record levels of drought, which fuelled devastating wildfires.
A megafire burned nearly 42 000 hectares and forced the evacuation of more than 220 000 people in France’s Gironde department in late July. At the same time, Spain’s largest wildfire in recent history scorched almost 44 000 hectares in Avila province, near Madrid.
Other regions experiencing unprecedented July heat include China’s Sichuan province, the US states of Wyoming and Colorado, and the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Combined, these areas are home to more than 250 million people.
ALSO READ: UN agency warns strong El Niño will bring extreme weather worldwide
