August 2026 was the hottest August ever recorded globally, and the ocean wasn't far behind it. For Australia, that record sits on top of a winter that was already running warm, which means spring is starting from a hotter baseline than usual.
How hot, exactly
Global surface air temperature in August came in 1.65°C above the 1850 to 1900 baseline, according to the EU's Copernicus climate service. Ocean temperatures also hit record highs for the month, and June to August 2026 tied with 2024 as the joint-warmest three month stretch on record.
Where it's being felt
Western Europe copped severe drought and wildfires, with river flows from the Rhine to the Danube running exceptionally low. Indonesia saw intensified wildfires, and northern Australia recorded drier than average conditions alongside North America, northern Siberia, central Asia and the Maghreb. The UN is now warning the world will likely overshoot the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target by 2030.
What a hotter spring means for your underarms
Sweat production is driven by heat and humidity, not effort, so a warmer start to spring means Australians reaching for deodorant earlier in the day and reapplying more often than usual. It's less about sweating more being a bad thing, that's your body doing exactly what it's meant to do, and more about knowing your deodorant needs to keep pace with the weather.
Read the full report from ABC News, 10 September 2026.
Related reading: Does Natural Deodorant Actually Work in Summer Heat? and Do You Actually Need a Whole-Body Deodorant?.
Hot spring, sweaty spring, we've got magnesium deodorant for exactly this.