It’s official: July 2023 was the hottest month on record, scientists have confirmed.
Last month, a four-year heat record was broken, experts from the EU’s Copernicus climate change program said.
The global average temperature for the month was 62.51 °F (16.95 °C), the highest since records began in 1940 and well above the previous record of 61.93 °F (16.63 °C) established in July 2019.
Worryingly, 62.51°F is 1.29°F (0.72°C) warmer than the 1991-2020 global average for July — and the experts point to greenhouse gas emissions as the cause.
The data tracks the hottest month of June in the UK and extreme weather events such as heat waves in Europe, North America and Asia and wildfires in Canada and Greece.
In July 2023, the average temperature was 62.51°F (16.95°C), well above the previous record of 61.93°F (16.63°C) set in July 2019. Pictured, global air surface temperatures for all months July from 1940 to 2023
The Copernicus figure refers to the global average temperature for the month – so lower than a single typical ‘hot’ temperature reading – but as an average it is unusually high.
The EU service’s temperature measurements are based on a variety of platforms and instruments, from weather stations to weather balloons and satellites.
“We just witnessed global air temperatures and global ocean surface temperatures setting new records in July,” said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
“These records have serious implications for both humans and the planet exposed to increasingly frequent and intense extreme events.”
The cause of the new record temperature is the “anthropogenic” (man-made) emissions of greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere.
“Record-breaking temperatures are part of the trend of drastic increases in global temperatures,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus climate change service.
The data tracks extreme weather events, including heat waves in Europe, North America and Asia and wildfires in Canada and Greece. Pictured are flames engulfing a hillside on July 27, 2023 in Apollana, Rhodes, Greece. Studies have shown that climate change has already increased the length of the wildfire season, the frequency of wildfires and the area burned
“Anthropogenic emissions are ultimately the main cause of these rising temperatures.”
Last month began breaking the daily global mean surface temperature record four days in a row, from July 3 to 6.
July 6 was the warmest day of the month, with a global average temperature of 17.08 °C, although the values on July 5 and 7 were within 0.01 °C of this.
During the first and third weeks of the month, temperatures also temporarily crossed the threshold of 2.7°F (1.5°C) above pre-industrial levels – a limit set by the Paris Agreement.
Higher air temperatures are of great concern to scientists because they can melt glaciers, leading to sea level rises and deadly flooding, as well as exacerbate wildfires, disrupt ecosystems and threaten crop growth.
But Copernicus data shows that not only air surface temperatures have set records in July.
It has already revealed that global average temperatures for the oceans hit their highest on record on July 31.
Data from the EU’s Copernicus program shows average sea temperatures reached 20.96°C (69.72°F) on 31 July, a record 20.95°C (69.71°F) from March 2016 .
Oceans also become more acidic when they are warmer, which threatens marine life such as corals and clams as it can dissolve their calcium carbonate shells and skeletons
The average sea temperature, which has risen steadily since the 1970s, reached 69.72°F (20.96°C), surpassing a record of 69.71°F (20.95°C) set in March 2016.
The warmer the oceans get, the less adept they are at absorbing CO2, which instead leads to more gas in the atmosphere.
Air surface temperatures are usually the main metric looked at when considering temperature increases, but ocean temperatures are also important indicators.
Britons may find the new heat records hard to believe as the country has been pummeled by cold air and downpours over the past month, despite heatwaves around mainland Europe.
July 2023 was the sixth wettest UK July on record, Met Office figures recently revealed, despite June being a hot month.
It contrasts with July last year when the UK’s first red extreme heat warning was issued in the country, signaling ‘a risk to life’.
In 2022, temperatures in the UK broke the 104 °F (40 °C) mark for the first time, reaching a new record high of 104.5 °F (40.3 °C) on 19 July at Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
Britons may find the new data hard to believe as the country has been ravaged by cold air and downpours over the past month. Pictured are holidaymakers on the beach in Weymouth, Dorset on July 31, 2023
Pac-a-macs came in handy during the drizzle in central London on July 31, 2023 – a stark contrast to how it was a year ago
Experts have told MailOnline that the dull summer in the UK for 2023 is due to a low pressure area in early July, which was accompanied by lower temperatures.
In addition, the rain and cold weather here are likely to continue for most of August, dashing hopes for a warm end to summer vacation.
But Brits who don’t like the heat can consider this lucky as another summer of sweltering temperatures could be on the way next year and beyond.
Summers reaching 104°F (40°C) could become the norm by 2070, the Met Office said, while a recent study suggested we may need to change our work habits to cope with future heat.