2026 Will Bring Heat More Than 1.4C Above Preindustrial Levels, UK Met Office Says

The UK Met Office projects that 2026 will see global temperatures rise between 1.34C and 1.58C above preindustrial levels, placing it among the four hottest years since records began in 1850 and continuing a streak of extreme warming that has pushed the planet into unprecedented territory. The central forecast is slightly cooler than the 1.55C recorded in 2024, the warmest year on record. But climate scientist Adam Scaife, who led the forecast, noted that 'the last three years are all likely to have exceeded 1.4C' and 2026 would be the fourth consecutive year to do so. 'Prior to this surge, the previous global temperature had not exceeded 1.3C,' he said.

The forecast suggests another temporary exceedance of the 1.5C threshold set by the Paris Agreement is possible in 2026, following the first such breach in 2024. The 1.5C target is measured as a 30-year average, so it remains technically achievable even as individual years cross the line. EU scientists said last week that 2025 is 'virtually certain' to rank as the second or third-hottest year on record.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.