- Will 2026 be the hottest year on record?94¢94%
- Will 2026 be the second-hottest year on record?6¢6%
- Will 2026 be the third-hottest year on record?<1¢<1%
- 3%94%1$775.8k Vol.
- 2%6%2$495.1k Vol.
- 0.2%3$550.5k Vol.
Recent data positioning 2026 for a top-two finish among the hottest years on record has fueled trader consensus around a first-place outcome. Year-to-date global temperatures through September rank second only to 2024, with the month itself clocking in as the planet’s second-warmest September behind 2023, while U.S. land and ocean surfaces set multiple new highs amid intensifying El Niño conditions. Accelerating greenhouse-gas concentrations, record ocean heat content, and persistent regional heat waves have sustained momentum, mirroring the surge seen in 2023–2025. With the strong El Niño event expected to deliver additional warmth through year-end, analysts highlight a realistic path for 2026 to edge out prior leaders, though a late-year cooldown or measurement variance could lock it into second. The market’s heavy weighting toward first or second reflects these verified trends and the limited window left for a dramatic shift.
Rules
This market will resolve according to the numerical rank of how hot 2026 is when compared against all other years for which the Global Land-Ocean Temperature Index has data. Years will be ranked in descending order, starting with the hottest as number 1, the second hottest as number 2, etc. If 2026 ties with any other year, it will resolve according to the place the year it ties with occupies. This market will resolve immediately once the specified data becomes available, regardless of whether the figure for the relevant years is later revised. The primary resolution source for this market will be the figure found in the table titled "Land-Ocean Temperature Index (C)" under the column "No_Smoothing" in the row "2026" (https://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs/graph_data/Global_Mean_Estimates_based_on_Land_and_Ocean_Data/graph.txt). If NASA's "Global Temperature Index" is rendered permanently unavailable, other information from NASA may be used. If no information for 2026 is provided by NASA by March 1, 2027, 11:59 PM ET, this market will resolve based on a consensus of credible reporting.