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Heat Records Are Broken Around the Globe as Earth Warms, Fast
From north to south, temperatures are surging as greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and combine with effects from El Niño.
Brad Plumer and
The past three days were quite likely the hottest in Earth’s modern history, scientists said on Thursday, as an astonishing surge of heat across the globe continued to shatter temperature records from North America to Antarctica.
The spike comes as forecasters warn that the Earth could be entering a multiyear period of exceptional warmth driven by two main factors: continued emissions of heat-trapping gases, mainly caused by humans burning oil, gas and coal; and the return of El Niño, a cyclical weather pattern.
Earth’s Hottest Days on Record Were July 3-5
Daily surface air temperatures worldwide since 1979
64° F
July 5, 2023
62°
60°
2022
58°
1979-2021
56°
54°
52°
50°
Jan. 1
Mar. 1
May 1
July 1
Sep. 1
Nov. 1
Dec. 31
64° F
July 5, 2023
62°
60°
2022
58°
56°
1979-2021
54°
52°
50°
Jan. 1
May 1
Sep. 1
Dec. 31
64° F
July 5, 2023
62°
60°
2022
58°
56°
1979-2021
54°
52°
50°
Jan. 1
May 1
Sep. 1
Dec. 31
Already, the surge has been striking. The planet just experienced its warmest June ever recorded, researchers said, with deadly heat waves scorching Texas, Mexico and India. Off the coasts of Antarctica, sea ice levels this year have plummeted to record lows.
And in the North Atlantic, the ocean has been off-the-charts hot. Surface temperatures in May were 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1.6 degrees Celsius, warmer than typical for this time of year, breaking previous records by an unusually large margin.
The sharp jump in temperatures has unsettled even those scientists who have been tracking climate change.
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