Monday, July 3, Became the World's Hottest Day on Record, Initial Measurements Reveal

According to initial measurements, July 3, 2023 became the world's hottest day on record. Experts think that this number could go even higher.

July 3, 2023: World's Hottest Day on Record

Phys explains that the average temperature on July 3 reached a world record as it went beyond 17 degrees Celsius, or 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Initial measurements were made by US meteorologists on Tuesday.

As such, these record temperatures go beyond the record of August 2016, which was 16.92 degrees Celsius, Reuters reports. The average air temperature in the world fluctuates within a range of 12 to 17 degrees Celsius on any day. Phys adds that the average temperature, which spans the start of July 1979 and 2000, reached 16.2 degrees Celsius.

This record-high temperature still requires further verification via other forms of measurement, as this was only documented through initial measurements. However, it may soon be broken as summer starts in the northern hemisphere. Typically, the average temperature across the globe rises until the start of August or the end of July.

Last month, average temperatures were at their warmest in the Copernicus climate monitoring unit of the European Union. This was the warmest level that had ever been documented at June's start.

Alarmingly, even Antarctica, which is currently experiencing winter, had shockingly high recorded temperatures, Reuters adds.

Climate Change Alert

Climate scientist Friederike Otto, from the Imperial College of London's The Environment and the Graham Institute for Climate Change, explains that such milestones are not to be celebrated, as they connote a death sentence for ecosystems and people.

Temperatures could surge even more as El Niño hits the Pacific Ocean. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed that this weather condition is currently underway.

According to the WMO, conditions of El Niño have spurred across the tropical Pacific, marking the first in the last seven years.

Research scientist Zeke Hausfather from Bearkly Earth explains that this level marks the first in a new record series this year, as CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions grow alongside the coming El Niño.

Shockingly, data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NECP) revealed just 24 hours later, on Tuesday, July 4, that average global temperatures hit 17.18 degrees Celsius, ABC News adds.

Associate professor Ailie Grant, from the School of Earth, Atmosphere, and Environment at Monash University, explains that ultimately, whether this week was indeed a record-breaker or not, it did not really matter. Professor Grant explains that the point is that the world is seeing more extremely hot days and is getting higher temperatures and more heat waves.

The professor further adds that this is the new norm, as hotter weather will hit until emissions of greenhouse gases get abated and climate change starts getting reversed.