SUN DAY CAMPAIGN
Year-to-Date, Global Temperatures are Third Highest on Record Each of the First Six Months of 2026 Among the Top Five Warmest

Monthly data released by the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reveal that during the first half of 2026 the global surface temperature was third highest on record. In June alone, it was the second-highest recorded while global ocean temperatures were the highest on record for the month.

Of the first six months of 2026, two (January and February) were the fifth-warmest on record; one (April) was the fourth warmest; and the other three (March, May, June) were each the second warmest. Most, if not all, of the earth's warmest monthly temperatures have been recorded during the past decade.

However, if you were not aware of this alarming trend, don't blame yourself. Since the beginning of the Trump Administration, NOAA has kept its monthly climate change data under-reported, if not well-hidden.

Up through the end of President Joe Biden's tenure in the White House, NOAA's climate reports were the lead headline story on the agency's web page each month and would remain there for multiple days, if not longer, thereby enabling wide coverage by print, broadcast, and social media.

No longer.

Publication of climate data has now become the responsibility of NCEI which posts the information without fanfare. It can be found if one knows when to look and where to research. But it requires some effort - underscoring the greatly diminished priority given by the Trump Administration to the issue and its apparent desire to pretend that global warming is not happening.

Below, the SUN DAY Campaign has compiled NCEI's postings regarding its "Global Climate Reports" issued during the past six months. For comparison, these are followed by the last three NOAA news releases for the monthly "Global Climate Reports" published by the Biden Administration.

Trump/NCEI "Global Climate Reports" for 2026:

Earth Experienced Its Fifth-Warmest January on Record:

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, February 11, 2026

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202601

January 2025 ranked as the fifth-warmest January in NOAA's 177-year record, with a global surface temperature 2.02°F (1.12°C) higher than the 20th-century baseline. All 10 of the warmest Januarys on record have occurred since 2007, with the most recent five years (2022-26) among the top 10.

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February 2026 Was the Fifth-Warmest on Record:

EU Space Support Office, March 11, 2026

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/global/202602

In February 2026, the global surface temperature was 1.18°C (2.12°F) above the 20th-century average, ranking as the fifth-warmest February in the 177-year record. The 10 warmest Februarys on record have all occurred since 2016. This month also marked the 47th-consecutive February with an above-average temperatures.

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March 2026 Tied for Second-Warmest Globally:

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, April 9, 2026

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202603

March 2026 had a surface temperature 2.36°F (1.31°C) above the 20th-century average, tying with 2024 as the second-warmest March on record. Only March 2025 was warmer by just 0.02°F (0.01°C). All March global temperature departures ranking in the top 10 during the period 1850-2026 have occurred since 2015. This month marked the 50th-consecutive March with a global temperature departure above the 20th-century average. The last March to rank below the 1901-2000 mean occurred in 1976.

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April 2026 Ranks as the Fourth-Warmest on Record Globally:

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, May 11, 2026

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202604

April 2026 ranked as the fourth-warmest April on record, trailing only 2024, 2025 and 2020, with a global surface temperature 2.02°F (1.12°C) above the 20th-century average. Notably, all 10 of the warmest Aprils in the 1850-2026 record have occurred since 2016. This month also marked the 50th-consecutive April with a global temperature departure above the 20th-century average; the most recent below-average April occurred in 1976. During April 2026, above-average temperatures spanned most global land and ocean surfaces. Globally, ocean temperatures ranked second-warmest for the month, while land temperatures came in at seventh-warmest.

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May 2026 Was the World's Second-Warmest May on Record:

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, June10, 2026

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202605

May 2026 ranked as the second-warmest May on record, trailing only 2024, with a global surface temperature 1.93°F (1.07°C) above the 20th-century average. Notably, all 10 of the warmest Mays in the 1850-2026 record have occurred since 2016. This month also marked the 50th-consecutive May with a global temperature departure above the 20th-century average; the most recent below-average May occurred in 1976. Globally, ocean temperatures ranked second warmest for the month, while land temperatures came in at fifth warmest.

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Earth Experiences Its Second-Warmest June on Record:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, July 9, 2026

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202606

The globe had its second-warmest June on record, driven by global ocean surface temperatures reaching an all-time high for the month. Global surface temperatures in June 2026 were 1.96°F (1.09°C) above the 20th-century average - the second-warmest June on record, trailing only 2024. Notably, all 10 of the warmest Junes in the 1850-2026 record have occurred since 2015. This month also marked the 50th-consecutive June with a global temperature departure above the 20th-century average; the most recent below-average globally-averaged June temperature occurred in 1976. Global ocean temperatures were the highest on record for the month, while global land temperatures came in at fourth highest on record. Looking at the year-to-date, the January-June global surface temperature was third highest on record. It is very likely that 2026 will rank among the five-warmest years on record.

Biden/NOAA Last Three News Releases re. the "Global Climate Reports":

Planet Saw Its 2nd-Warmest October in 175-year Record:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, November 13, 2024

https://www.noaa.gov/news/planet-saw-its-2nd-warmest-october-in-175-year-record

2024 is on pace to be world's warmest year on record, with October 2024 ranking as the second-warmest October in NOAA's 175-year global climate record. The average global temperature for October was 2.38 degrees F (1.32 degrees C) above the 20th-century average of 57.2 degrees F (14.0 degrees C). The YTD global surface temperature was 2.30 degrees F (1.28 degrees C) above the 20th-century average, making it the warmest such period on record. There is now a greater than 99% chance that 2024 will rank as the world's warmest year on record.

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Earth Saw Its Second-Warmest November on Record:

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, December 12, 2024

https://www.noaa.gov/news/earth-saw-its-2nd-warmest-november-on-record

November 2024 was the planet's second-warmest November in NOAA's 175-year global climate record, just 0.14 of a degree F (0.08 of a degree C) behind the record warmth of November 2023. The average global land and ocean surface temperature for November 2024 was 2.41 degrees F (1.34 degrees C) above the 20th-century average of 55.2 degrees F (12.9 degrees C). The year-to-date global land and ocean surface temperature was 2.30 degrees F (1.28 degrees C) above the 20th-century average, ranking as the warmest such YTD on record. Every continent had its warmest such YTD period on record, except for Asia, which had its second warmest. There is now a greater than 99% chance that 2024 will rank as Earth's warmest year on record.

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January Temperature Marks a New Global Milestone (Warmest January on Record):

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, February 12, 2025

https://www.noaa.gov/news/january-temperature-marks-new-global-milestone

The average global land and ocean surface temperature last month was 2.39 degrees F (1.33 degrees C) above the 20th-century average, ranking as the warmest January in the 176-year global climate record. This was 0.05 of a degree F (0.03 of a degree C) above the previous record-warm January of 2024. The new January global record is particularly notable for having occurred during a La Nina episode, the cold phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation.

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The SUN DAY Campaign is a non-profit research and educational organization founded in 1992 to support a rapid transition to 100% reliance on sustainable energy technologies as a cost-effective alternative to nuclear power and fossil fuels and as a solution to climate change.