Meteorologists: Summer 2023 hottest on record
GENEVA — Earth has sweltered through its hottest Northern Hemisphere summer ever measured, with a record warm August capping a season of brutal and deadly temperatures, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
Last month was not only the hottest August scientists ever recorded by far with modern equipment, it was also the second hottest month measured, behind only July 2023, WMO and the European climate service Copernicus announced Wednesday. ing of parts of the Pacific ence agencies are expected
August was about 2.7 Ocean that changes weather to soon report that the sumdegrees Fahrenheit warmer worldwide. Usually an El mer was a record-breaker. than pre-industrial aver- Nino, which started earlier “What we are observing, ages. That is the threshold this year, adds extra heat not only new extremes but that the world is trying not to global temperatures but the persistence of these to pass, though scientists more so in its second year. record-breaking conditions, are more concerned about Climatologist Andrew and the impacts these have rises in temperatures over Weaver said the numbers on both people and planet, decades, not merely a blip announced by WMO and are a clear consequence of over a month’s time. Copernicus come as no sur- the warming of the climate
The world’s oceans — prise, bemoaning how gov- system,” Copernicus Climore than 70% of the Earth’s ernments have not appeared mate Change Service Direcsurface — were the hottest to take the issue of global tor Carlo Buontempo said. ever recorded, nearly 69.8 warming seriously enough. Scientists have used tree degrees, and have set high He expressed concern that rings, ice cores and other temperature marks for three the public will just forget proxies to estimate that temconsecutive months, the the issue when tempera- peratures are now warmer WMO and Copernicus said. tures fall again. than they have been in about
“The dog days of summer “It’s time for global lead- 120,000 years. The world are not just barking, they ers to start telling the truth,” has been warmer before, are biting,” United Nations said Weaver, a professor but that was prior to human Secretary-General Antonio at the School of Earth and civilization, seas were much Guterres said in a statement. Ocean Sciences at the Unihigher and the poles were “Climate breakdown has versity of Victoria in Canada. not icy. begun.” “It’s all hands on deck now So far, daily September
So far, 2023 is the sec- to prevent a level of warm- temperatures are higher ond hottest year on record, ing that will wreak havoc than what has been recorded behind 2016, according to worldwide.” before for this time of year, Copernicus. Copernicus, a division according to the University
Scientists blame of the European Union’s of Maine’s Climate Reanever-warming human-caused space program, has records alyzer. While the world’s climate change from the going back to 1940, but in air and oceans were setting burning of coal, oil and the United Kingdom and the records for heat, Antarctica natural gas with an extra United States, global records continued to set records for push from a natural El Nino, go back to the mid 1800s low amounts of sea ice, the which is a temporary warm- and those weather and sci- WMO said.