Michigan's 2026 summer was among the warmest on record, according to AccuWeather, which noted August tied the record for hottest month ever on Earth.
The global average surface air temperature reached 62.5 degrees Fahrenheit, making August 2026 the hottest August on record and tying it with July 2023 as the warmest of any month in data dating to 1940, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
August's average global temperature was 2.97 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1.65 degrees Celsius, above the estimated preindustrial average from 1850 to 1900.
Additionally, it was the first month to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels since November 2025.
"What stands out is how widespread and persistent the warmth has been, from the atmosphere to the oceans," AccuWeather Expert Meteorologist Tyler Roys said. "Now we're seeing a rapidly strengthening El Niño developing on top of that unusually warm global background. That combination could have significant implications for weather patterns around the world through the fall and winter."
AccuWeather noted the summer was the 18th warmest on record for Michigan.
The ranking comes as the Detroit area saw a daily average highs of 82.8 degrees from June 1 through Aug. 31, according to the AccuWeather.
Most of the Detroit region did not break 100 degrees this summer, but highs did reach 90 degrees or above 11 times, including seven in July alone, according to AccuWeather.
"Record heat remains rare, but it is happening more frequently," AccuWeather Expert Meteorologist Alyssa Glenny said following the July record. "As average temperatures rise, the baseline that these extremes build from is getting warmer. That means it doesn't take as much for a period of extreme heat to push temperatures into record territory."
August's milestone came as July 2026 became the hottest month ever recorded in the contiguous U.S.
The Lower 48 states averaged 76.9 degrees in July, breaking records dating to 1895 and surpassing the extreme heat of July 1936 during the Dust Bowl.
Utah, Colorado and New Mexico experienced their hottest summer ever with temperatures more than 5 degrees higher than the historical average, according to NOAA Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) data from June, July and August.
Arizona tied for its record warmest summer.
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