Skip to main content
Clear icon
54º

Earth heating up to its second hottest summer on record

Since 2009, 9 of 10 warmest Augusts have occurred

The sun shines at Memorial Park in Houston in this image taken in 2020. (KPRC/File)

Orlando, FLA. – This year, 2021, is on a record pace to become one of the hottest years on record. The current record holder is 2016, with 2020 in a close second.

August 2021

Recommended Videos



The higher-than-normal heat spread quickly around the globe this summer. And that was certainly the case for the last month of the season. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the average global temperatures — over land and sea — through August was 1.62 degrees above the average of 60.1 degrees, making it the sixth hottest August on record.

This record-breaking heat in August has become quite a trend over the past decade. Globally, nine of the 10 warmest Augusts have all occurred since 2009.

Summer 2021 Global (June through August)

Across the Northern Hemisphere, summer raged all three months. Summer 2021, saw its second hottest meteorological summer on record, tying with 2019 and just slightly cooler than the summer of 2020.

A map of the world plotted with some of the most significant climate events that occurred during August 2021. Please see the story below as well as more details in the report summary from NOAA NCEI at http://bit.ly/Global202108. (NOAA NCEI)

Year to Date Global (January through August)

Globally, this year currently ranks as the sixth warmest year ever recorded. As of the end of summer, our average temperature rose to 57.3 degrees, which is running about 1.48 degrees above the average.

Year to Date Locally (January through August)

When it comes to our local reporting cites, Orlando’s average is at 75.6 degrees which currently places 2021, as the hottest year on record. Other locations seeing their warmest year include Daytona Beach and Sanford.