Copernicus Climate Change Service warned that July is likely to be the hottest July ever recorded. This is due to human-caused climate change which results in disasters like wildfires and searing temperatures. The past three weeks have been the hottest since records began, with global temperatures shattering previous records.
“We don’t have to wait until the end of the month to know this. Short of a mini-Ice Age over the next days, July 2023 will shatter records across the board”, said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. For vast parts of North America, Asia, Africa & Europe – it is a cruel summer. For the entire planet, it is a disaster. We can still stop the worst. Accelerating temperatures demand accelerated #ClimateAction, Guterres reiterates.
According to the data released by WMO, July has already seen the hottest three-week period ever recorded; the three hottest days on record; and the highest-ever ocean temperatures for this time of year. On July 6, the daily average global mean surface air temperature surpassed the record set in August 2016, making it the hottest day on record.
“The extreme weather which has affected many millions of people in July is unfortunately the harsh reality of climate change and a foretaste of the future,” said World Meteorological Organization’s Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas. “The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is more urgent than ever before. Climate action is not a luxury but a must.”
WMO predicts that there is a 98% likelihood that at least one of the next five years will be the warmest on record and a 66% chance of temporarily exceeding 1.5°C above the 1850-1900 average for at least one of the five years.
Highest daily global mean surface air temperatures on record
The global mean surface air temperature reached its highest daily value (17.08°C) on 6th July 2023. This value was within 0.01°C of the values recorded on the 5th and 7th of July. All days since 3rd July have been hotter than the previous record of 16.80°C from 13th August 2016.
Highest monthly global mean surface air temperature on record
The global mean surface air temperature averaged for the first 23 days of July 2023 was 16.95°C. This is well above the 16.63°C recorded for the full month of July 2019. It is certain that the full monthly average temperature for July 2023 will exceed that of July 2019 by a significant margin.
