August 2025 was the third-hottest August on record due to the skyrocketing global temperatures, which caused fatal heatwaves and wildfires over Europe and Asia, with ocean temperatures approaching historic highs.
August’s average global temperature, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, was 1.29°C higher than pre-industrial levels, which is marginally lower than the 2023 and 2024 records. Scientists warn that even while this increase may appear gradual, it is already causing climatic instability and escalating extreme weather occurrences.
Temperature anomalies were most noticeable in Western Europe, especially in the Iberian Peninsula and southwest France. A third summer heatwave hit southwest Europe, with Spain suffering a 16-day heatwave that killed more than 1,100 people, according to the Carlos III Health Institute.
