Berkeley Earth: Odds of 2026 Becoming Hottest Year on Record Jump to 69%

Berkeley Earth raised the probability that 2026 becomes the hottest year on record to 69% in its August assessment, up sharply from just 12% in July, as the rapidly intensifying El Niño pushes global temperatures higher. Sea-surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific are projected to rise as much as 4°C above normal, exceeding the 2.75°C anomaly recorded during the 2015-16 Super El Niño. Berkeley Earth chief scientist Robert Rohde said the event could bring weather conditions 'we would normally expect to be a decade or more away.'