The global average surface air temperature on Sunday reached
17.09 degrees Celsius (62.76 degrees Fahrenheit) — slightly
higher than the previous record set last July of 17.08 C (62.74
F).
Heatwaves have scorched large swathes of the United States,
Europe and Russia over the past week.
Copernicus confirmed to Reuters that the record daily
temperature average set last year appeared to have been broken
on Sunday.
Last year saw four days in a row break the record, from July 3
through July 6, as climate change, driven by the burning of
fossil fuels, drove extreme heat across the Northern Hemisphere.
Every month since June 2023 - 13 months in a row - has now
ranked as the planet's hottest since records began, compared
with the corresponding month in previous years, Copernicus said.
Some scientists have suggested 2024 could outrank 2023 as the
hottest year since records began, as climate change and the El
Nino natural weather phenomenon — which ended in April — have
pushed temperatures ever higher this year.
(Reporting by Gloria Dickie, Editing by William Maclean)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All
rights reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|