May 2026 ranked as the second-warmest May on record globally, with temperatures running +1.07°C above the 20th-century average and trailing only May 2024.

• The month marked the 50th consecutive May with above-average global temperatures, with all 10 of the warmest Mays in the historical record occurring since 2016.
• Ocean temperatures were the second-warmest on record for May, while land temperatures ranked fifth-warmest. Widespread above-average temperatures covered much of the globe, with particularly strong warmth across parts of the Arctic, Antarctica, central Canada, western Asia, and portions of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.
• Sea ice remained exceptionally limited. Both poles recorded top-10 low sea ice extent, while Arctic sea ice ranked as the second-smallest May extent on record for the third consecutive month.
• The March-May period was also exceptionally warm, ranking as the third-warmest such period globally in NOAA's 177-year dataset. The Northern Hemisphere recorded its fifth-warmest meteorological spring, while the Southern Hemisphere tied for its warmest autumn on record.
• Looking ahead, NOAA estimates that 2026 is very likely to finish among the five warmest years ever recorded globally.
• Assessing the Global Temperature and Precipitation Analysis in May 2026