According to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), the 2026 Antarctic ozone hole reached 15 million km² by the end of August, a little earlier than usual, and then grew sharply to about 25 million km² on September 12, roughly 5 million km² above the average for that time. The surge matched a sudden drop in stratospheric temperature about 20 km above the South Pole. Such cold forms Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs) that aid halogen-driven ozone loss in austral spring. Other indicators like minimum ozone column and ozone mass deficit stayed near average.