NASA and NOAA jointly confirmed that March 2026 was the warmest March in the global temperature record, surpassing the previous record set in 2024 by 0.12 degrees Celsius. The global average surface temperature was 1.64 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial baseline, continuing a streak of record-breaking months.
Ocean surface temperatures were particularly anomalous, running 0.9 degrees above the 20th-century average across the global tropics. The persistent ocean warmth is fueling more intense weather systems and contributing to marine heat waves affecting coral reefs and fisheries worldwide.
