# Earth's most above-normal month on record: October 2026, +2.57°F Published November 12, 2026, 11:46 AM ET By Ryan Hall, Y'all Written by our automated news desk from National Weather Service data. October 2026 ran 2.57°F above the 20th-century average worldwide, the largest departure for any month in NOAA's record back to 1850. It beat the old October record from 2023 by 0.14°F, and the global ocean temperature departure also set an all-month record. Not everywhere was warm, though, with about 19% of the planet below its recent normal. ## Key points - **What:** October 2026 was +2.57°F above the 20th-century average worldwide, the highest departure of any month since 1850. - **Oceans:** The global ocean was 2.05°F above average, also the highest for any month on record. - **Streak:** It was the 50th October in a row above the 20th-century average. The 10 warmest Octobers have all come since 2015. - **Not the same as "hottest":** Earth is warmer in absolute terms in July. This record is about how far above normal a month ran. ![Earth has never been this far above normal: October 2026, every month since 1850 (graphic by the Ryan Hall, Y'all newsroom)](https://public.yallsoft.app/rhy/blog/images/2026-11-12-news-newsroom-58048868-0-1640.png) October 2026 ran 2.57°F (1.43°C) above the 20th-century average for the whole planet, the biggest departure for any month in the global record that starts in 1850. NOAA's report, released Thursday, Nov. 12, says no month of any kind has ever run this far above normal. It beat the old October record, set in 2023, by 0.14°F. It also topped the previous all-month marks, which were set in September and November 2023, by 0.05°F. ## Every month since 1850, and October is on top Scientists measure global temperature as a departure from an average, because that makes a January and a July comparable. By that yardstick, October 2026 sits above every other month in the record. The margin over the old marks is small, 0.05°F over the old all-month record. But that record had stood since 2023, and this month passed it. A second major dataset agrees on the October ranking. The European Copernicus service said on Nov. 5 that October was the warmest on record. It measured +0.90°C against 1991-2020, with the old record from October 2023 at +0.85°C. Copernicus compares against a different baseline, so its numbers don't match NOAA's. NOAA's report is the first to say that no month of any kind has run this far above normal. ## The oceans set a record, too The global ocean ran 2.05°F above the 20th-century average. That is the highest for any month on record, and it is the fifth month in a row that the ocean has set a record for its calendar month. ## Not every place was warm ![Earth has never been this far above normal: October 2026, every month since 1850 (graphic by the Ryan Hall, Y'all newsroom)](https://public.yallsoft.app/rhy/blog/images/2026-11-12-news-newsroom-22055565-1-1640.png "Earth has never been this far above normal: October 2026, every month since 1850. Issued 11:40 AM ET Thursday. Ryan Hall, Y'all") A global number is an average, and it hides a lot. About 19% of the Earth's surface was below its 1991-2020 normal in October. The rest of the planet was at or above normal, and that was enough to push the global figure to a record. October 2026 was the 50th straight October above the 20th-century average, and the 10 warmest Octobers have all occurred since 2015. ## What to do There's nothing to prepare for today because of this report. It describes the whole planet, not your forecast. If you want to follow weather that affects your plans, check our [winter storm outlook](/winter) as the cold season builds. It currently shows rounds of Pacific mountain snow in the West from Sunday into Wednesday, with the central and eastern states mostly quiet. You can also sign up for free [Y'all Alerts](/alerts) to get warnings for your area. ## Bottom line Earth had its most above-normal month on record in October 2026, at 2.57°F over the 20th-century average, with the oceans setting a record of their own. That makes October the new benchmark, not the hottest month in absolute terms. More on: [Weather records, October 2026](https://ryanhallyall.com/news/topic/records-october-2026) ## Sources - Copernicus Climate Change Service ERA5, Copernicus Climate Change Service (ECMWF) - [NOAA NCEI climate records](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information - [NCEI October 2026 global climate report](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202610), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information --- Canonical: https://ryanhallyall.com/news/earths-most-above-normal-month-on-record-october-2026-257f From Ryan Hall, Y'all (https://ryanhallyall.com). Always follow official warnings from the National Weather Service.