According to University of Maine scientists at the Climate Reanalyzer project, the entire planet experienced the unofficial hottest day in human record keeping on July 3.
High temperature records were broken in Quebec, northwestern Canada, and Peru on July 3 and 4. Cities across the U.S., from Medford, Oregon to Tampa, Florida, have been experiencing all-time high temperatures. In Beijing, the temperature exceeded 35°C (95°F) for nine consecutive days last week. While this global record is pending approval from climate measurement entities like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), it serves as a clear indication that climate change is venturing into uncharted territory.
Deke Arndt, director of the National Center for Environmental Information, a division of NOAA, stated that this preliminary record captures the global-scale heating and will be taken into account for official record calculations. Arndt explained that the climate assessment community does not assign the same significance to a single day observation as it does to longer-term measurements spanning months, years, or decades. It is worth noting that this record is based on data from 1979 onwards, which marks the beginning of satellite record-keeping, while NOAA’s data dates back to 1880.
Arndt further highlighted that record-warm days of this magnitude would not occur without the impact of greenhouse gas emissions and the onset of a robust El Nino. El Nino refers to a temporary natural warming of parts of the central Pacific Ocean, which influences global weather patterns and tends to raise the planet’s temperature. Arndt likened human-caused climate change to an upward escalator for global temperatures, with El Nino acting as a jump on that escalator.
According to the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, the global daily average temperature on July 3 was 17.01 degrees Celsius or 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The Climate Reanalyzer relies on a NOAA computer simulation designed for forecasts, utilizing satellite data rather than reported ground observations. Therefore, this unofficial record is effectively based on a weather tool intended for forecasting rather than record-keeping. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that this average temperature exceeded the 17-degree Celsius mark for the first time in the 44-year dataset.
Rising global average temperatures result in severe conditions for people worldwide. The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center issued heat advisories for over 30 million people in various regions of the U.S., including western Oregon, northern California, central New Mexico, Texas, Florida, and the coastal Carolinas. Excessive heat warnings continue to be in effect in southern Arizona and California. Heightened temperatures pose significant health risks, particularly for vulnerable populations such as the young and the elderly. Erinanne Saffell, an expert in extreme weather and climate events serving as the Arizona state climatologist, emphasized the importance of understanding the risks and taking precautions such as staying hydrated, seeking cool environments, and looking out for those who may be more susceptible to heat-related illnesses.
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