The world has just experienced the hottest summer on record – by a wide margin
As heatwaves continue to ravage parts of the world, scientists are reporting that this scorching, deadly summer was the hottest on record — by a wide margin. According to the data, June through August was the warmest such period on the planet since records began in 1940 by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. According to Copernicus, the global average temperature this summer was 16.77 degrees Celsius (62.19 Fahrenheit), which is 0.66 degrees Celsius higher than the 1990-2020 average, beating the previous record set in August 2019. by almost 0.3 degrees Celsius. Typically, these records, which track average air temperature around the world, are broken down by hundredths of a degree. This is the first set of scientific data to confirm what many had thought was inevitable. It’s been a scorching hot summer for parts of the Northern Hemisphere – including parts of the United States, Europe and Japan – with record-breaking heat waves and unprecedented sea temperatures. The planet experienced its hottest June on record, followed by its hottest July – both well above previous records. August was also the warmest month of its kind on record, and warmer than every other month this year except July, according to the new Copernicus data. The global average temperature this month was 16.82 degrees Celsius – 0.31 degrees warmer than the previous record set in 2016. “The dog days of summer don’t just bark, they bite,” said António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, in a statement on the Copernicus data. “Scientists have long warned of the impact our dependence on fossil fuels will have. “Our climate is imploding faster than we can deal with extreme weather events that hit every corner of the planet.” According to Copernicus, July and August were estimated to have been 1.5 degrees warmer than pre-industrial levels, a key threshold that scientists have long been ahead of warn The world must stay underwater to avert the most catastrophic effects of climate change. While scientists tend to focus on long-term global temperature rises, these temporary breaches are an important preview of how the world anticipates summers of 1.5 degrees warming can. “The Northern Hemisphere has just had a summer of extremes – with repeated heat waves fueling devastating wildfires, damaging health, disrupting daily life and taking a lasting toll on the environment,” said Petteri Taalas, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization, in a statement Explanation Countries in the southern hemisphere also experienced shockingly warm winters, with temperatures well above average in Australia, several South American countries and Antarctica. Global average sea temperatures were also exceptionally high, contributing to stronger Atlantic hurricanes and Pacific typhoons. In July, the sea reached “whirlpool” temperatures due to a sudden marine heatwave off the Florida coast. While in June, parts of the North Atlantic experienced a “completely unprecedented” ocean heatwave that saw sea temperatures up to 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than usual. That’s what happened every single day from late July to late August. According to Copernicus, sea temperatures are surpassing the previous record set in 2016. Whether this year will be the warmest year on record on the planet is not yet clear, but it certainly will be to come close. With four months of the year remaining, the year 2023 is currently the second warmest year on record, according to Copernicus, just 0.01 degrees Celsius below 2016, which is currently the warmest year on record. Scientists predict that next year is likely to be even hotter given the arrival of El Niño, a natural variation in climate that causes higher than average sea surface temperatures and affects the weather. “This El Niño is developing in a warmer ocean than any previous El Niño, so we’re watching with interest how this event evolves in terms of magnitude and impact,” Samantha Burgess, associate director of Copernicus, told CNN. Burgess said the summer was one of the record declines and it will only get worse as the world continues to burn fossil fuels that are heating the planet. “The scientific evidence is overwhelming – we will continue to see more climate records and more intense and frequent extreme weather events impacting society and ecosystems until we stop emitting greenhouse gases,” she said in a statement.
As heatwaves continue to sear parts of the world, scientists are reporting that this scorching, deadly summer was the hottest on record — by a wide margin.
According to data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, June through August was the warmest period of its kind on the planet since records began in 1940.
According to Copernicus, the global average temperature this summer was 16.77 degrees Celsius (62.19 Fahrenheit), which is 0.66 degrees Celsius higher than the 1990-2020 average and the previous record set in August 2019 by almost 0.3 degrees Celsius surpassed.
Typically, these records, which measure the average air temperature around the world, are undercut by hundredths of a degree.
This is the first set of scientific data to confirm what many had thought was inevitable. It’s been a scorching hot summer for parts of the Northern Hemisphere – including parts of the United States, Europe and Japan – with record-breaking heat waves and unprecedented sea temperatures.
The planet experienced its hottest June on record, followed by the hottest July – both far surpassing previous records.
According to the new Copernicus data, August was also the warmest month of its kind on record, warmer than every other month this year except July. The global average temperature for the month was 16.82 degrees Celsius – 0.31 degrees warmer than the previous record set in 2016.
“The dog days of summer don’t just bark, they bite,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement on the Copernicus data. “Scientists have long warned of the impact our dependence on fossil fuels will have. Our climate is imploding faster than we can handle extreme weather events that hit every corner of the planet.”
Both July and August were estimated to be 1.5 degrees warmer than pre-industrial levels, according to Copernicus. Scientists have long warned the world that falling below this important threshold is necessary to prevent the most catastrophic effects of climate change.
While scientists tend to focus on the long-term global temperature rise, these temporary breaches are an important preview of what the world may look like in the summer with 1.5 degrees of warming.
“The Northern Hemisphere has just had a summer of extremes – with repeated heat waves fueling devastating wildfires, damaging health, disrupting daily life and taking a lasting toll on the environment,” said Petteri Taalas, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization, in a statement Explanation .
Countries in the southern hemisphere also experienced shockingly warm winters, with temperatures well above average in Australia, several South American countries and Antarctica.
Global average sea temperatures were also exceptionally high, contributing to the intensification of major Atlantic hurricanes and Pacific typhoons.
In July, the sea reached “whirlpool” temperatures due to a sudden marine heatwave off the Florida coast. While in June, parts of the North Atlantic experienced a “completely unprecedented” ocean heatwave that saw sea temperatures up to 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than usual.
Sea temperatures exceeded the previous record set in 2016 on every single day from late July to late August, according to Copernicus.
Whether this year will be the warmest year on record is not yet clear, but it is certain to be very close.
With four months left in the year, 2023 is currently the second warmest on record, just 0.01 degrees Celsius below 2016, currently the warmest year on record, according to Copernicus.
Scientists predict next year will likely be even hotter due to the arrival of El Niño, a natural climate variation that causes higher than average sea surface temperatures and affects the weather.
“This El Niño is developing in a warmer ocean than any previous El Niño, so we are watching with interest as this event evolves in terms of magnitude and impact,” Samantha Burgess, Copernicus Associate Director, told CNN.
Burgess said the summer was one of the record declines and it will only get worse as the world continues to burn fossil fuels that are heating the planet.
“The scientific evidence is overwhelming – we will continue to see more climate records and more intense and frequent extreme weather events affecting society and ecosystems until we stop emitting greenhouse gases,” she said in a statement.
