This week, Earth experienced its hottest recorded day not once, but twice, highlighting an alarming trend in global temperatures. Data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) revealed unprecedented global average temperatures on Sunday and Monday, setting and then breaking the record for the hottest day ever measured.
On Sunday, July 21, the global average surface air temperature peaked at 17.09 °C (62.76 °F), surpassing the previous record of 17.08 °C (62.74 °F) set on July 6 the previous year. Remarkably, this record was short-lived; by Monday, July 22, temperatures climbed even higher to 17.15 °C (62.87 °F). These figures are based on preliminary data from the ERA5 dataset, part of the European Union’s Copernicus program.
While there are variations between different datasets due to differences in data collection and processing methods, the overarching trend is clear: global temperatures are on the rise. This trend has been particularly pronounced in 2023 and 2024. Before last July, the highest recorded daily average temperature was 16.8 °C (62.24 °F), set on August 13, 2016. However, since mid-2023, this record has been broken nearly 60 times.
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“This new report of a daily global average temperature record is noteworthy because we are no longer in an El Niño warm phase and it has occurred during an extended period of extraordinary heat – June 2024 was the thirteenth month in a row of record-breaking global temperatures,” said Chris Hewitt, Director of Climate Services at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
A chart from the C3S illustrates the daily global average surface air temperatures since 1940, highlighting the notable increases in 2023 and 2024. Given the current trajectory, 2024 is on track to potentially become the hottest year on record, a title currently held by 2023. The first half of this year has been consistently warmer than the same period last year, though the exceptionally warm final months of 2023 make it uncertain whether 2024 will surpass it, especially with a possible La Niña phase on the horizon.
Regardless, 2024 is expected to rank comfortably among the top five hottest years.
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“What is truly staggering is how large the difference is between the temperature of the last 13 months and the previous temperature records. We are now in truly uncharted territory and as the climate keeps warming, we are bound to see new records being broken in future months and years,” stated Carlo Buontempo, C3S Director.
In response to skeptics who might argue that Earth has experienced hotter periods in the past, it’s important to note that these findings are always contextualized with terms like “on record.” Long-term studies indicate that we haven’t seen sustained periods of temperatures this high in around 125,000 years. Historically, rapid climate changes have often been accompanied by mass extinctions, a trend we are beginning to observe today.