Researchers from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) recently announced that July 2023 was officially the hottest month based on global temperature records, which dates back over 140 years to 1880 when official global temperature records began. According to NASA data, July 2023 temperatures were 0.43 degrees Fahrenheit (F) (0.24 degrees Celsius (C)) higher than all other Julys, along with being 2.1 F (1.18 C) higher than average July temperatures between 1951 and 1980.
Map displaying global temperature anomalies for July 2023 according to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies Surface Temperature (GISTEMP) analysis. Temperature anomalies demonstrate how July 2023 compared to the average global July temperatures between 1951-1980. (Credit: NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies)
“NASA data confirms what billions around the world literally felt: temperatures in July 2023 made it the hottest month on record. In every corner of the country, Americans are right now experiencing firsthand the effects of the climate crisis, underscoring the urgency of President Biden’s historic climate agenda,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “The science is clear. We must act now to protect our communities and planet; it’s the only one we have.”
Chart displaying NASA’s GISTEMP analysis data for global temperature anomalies for every July since the 1880s. Anomalies demonstrate how much the global temperature was above or below the 1951-1980 norm average for July. (Credit: NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies)
Several locales across the globe experienced above average temperatures of 7.2 F (4 C), including portions of North America, South America, the Antarctica Peninsula, and North Africa. This drastic rise in average temperatures has been connected to hundreds of heat-related ailments and fatalities, in addition to tens of millions of people around the world placed under heat warnings, as well. NASA data confirms the five hottest Julys that have occurred since 1880 have all occurred within the last five years (2019-2023), and this continuing rise in average global temperatures is indicative of how anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change continues to warm the planet to unprecedented levels.
“Climate change is impacting people and ecosystems around the world, and we expect many of these impacts to escalate with continued warming,” said Dr. Katherine Calvin, who is the chief scientist and senior climate advisor at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Our agency observes climate change, its impacts, and its drivers, like greenhouse gases, and we are committed providing this information to help people plan for the future.”
Scientists predict temperature increases could range between 0.5 F and 8.6 F by the year 2100 but have settled on a likely increase of 2.7 F during that time. It is also predicted that these temperature increases won’t just bring excessive heat waves but will also result in the continued melting of glaciers and ice sheets across the globe and more severe weather events such as wildfires and stronger tropical storms, as well.
How much hotter will July 2024 be, and how much higher will average global temperatures go in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: NASA, World Weather Attribution, Insurance Journal, United States Environmental Protection Agency, NASA (1)
