Topline
The Fourth of July was the hottest day on Earth in as many as 125,000 years—breaking a record set the day before—as the return of the El Niño weather pattern collides with soaring temperatures at the start of summer, researchers say.
Kids will be kids, even in wartime: Children frolic in a fountain near Lviv Opera on yet another hot ... [+]
Key Facts
The global average temperature Tuesday reached 17.18 degrees Celsius (62.92 degrees Fahrenheit), data from the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute showed, the hottest ever recorded on any day of any year.
The same record was broken the day before, when July 3 temperatures reached 17.01 degrees Celsius (62.62 degrees Fahrenheit), higher than the previous hottest-day record of 16.92 degrees Celsius held by a tie of two dates, July 24, 2022, and August 14, 2016, according to the University of Maine and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction.
The exact modeling system used to estimate Tuesday’s temperature has only been used since 1979, but scientists are able to estimate average temperatures going back tens of thousands of years by using instrument-based global temperature records, tree rings and ice cores, climate scientist Paulo Ceppi told the Washington Post.
The Washington Post’s heat index forecast said as many as 57 million people across the United States were exposed to dangerous heat on Tuesday.
Excessive heat warnings and advisories remain in effect throughout Florida, parts of the Pacific Northwest, southern Texas and other areas Wednesday, the National Weather Service reports, though a weeks-long heat wave in Texas and other southern states did ultimately subside.
Key Background
Global temperatures have been on the rise for years due to human-caused climate change, but Tuesday’s scorching temperatures were also driven by the first El Niño weather pattern since 2018-19.The United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization warned Tuesday that billions of people will be impacted as El Niño brings warmer sea surface temperatures and triggers extreme heat both in the ocean and on land. An El Niño pattern weakens trade winds and pushes warm water toward the west coast of the Americas, the National Ocean Service says, causing areas in the northern U.S. and Canada to be dryer and warmer than usual. The U.S. Gulf Coast and Southeast often see wetter weather than usual and have increased flooding. El Niño is expected to increase global temperatures for the next 9 to 12 months, the WMO predicted.
What To Watch For
More broken records. The return of the El Niño weather pattern for the first time in four years means more extreme weather and a quickening of global warming, which would bring more record-breaking heat in the coming year. A WMO report released in May predicted there is a 98% likelihood that at least one of the next five years—and the five-year period as a whole—will be warmest on record.
Crucial Quote
“Early warnings and anticipatory action . . . are vital to save lives and livelihoods,” WMO Secretary-General professor Petteri Taalas said.
Further Reading
July 3: Earth Experiences Hottest Day On Record (Forbes)
El Niño Returns: UN Warns Of Upcoming ‘Surge’ In Global Temperatures And Extreme Heat (Forbes)
