The Summary
- Monday was the hottest day ever recorded on Earth, breaking the record set the day before.
- The global average temperature reached 17.15 degrees Celsius (62.87 Fahrenheit) on Monday, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
- In addition to the effects of climate change, this summer has been especially hot because of El Niño.
Sunday’s record as the hottest day ever recorded on Earth lasted only one day.
According to preliminary data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the global average temperature reached 17.15 degrees Celsius (62.87 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday, toppling the prior day’s record of 17.09 C.
In other words, the planet had its two warmest days back-to-back this week.
Higher than normal winter temperatures in Antarctica helped push the globe to new highs, according to Copernicus.
The records represent a milestone that climate scientists don’t expect to last long, as humans continue to fuel climate change by pumping fossil fuel pollution into the atmosphere.
Bob Henson, a meteorologist and climate writer for Yale Climate Connections, said that although he was not surprised that records have been broken, the spikes in temperatures during the last two years have still been “startling.”
“Let’s say your body temperature went up half a degree, that wouldn’t worry you if you’re 98.6 F, but if you’re already 103 F, that extra half a degree is really unsettling,” he said.
People have been feeling the effects of extreme heat across the globe this week and throughout the summer. California dealt with triple-digit temperatures in many areas on Monday, contributing to wildfire concerns in the region. Temperatures rose to 118 degrees in Al Dhaid, a city northeast of Dubai. And Southern Europe continued to swelter, with parts of Spain and Portugal under heat advisories.
In addition to the effects of climate change, this summer has been especially hot because of El Niño, a natural pattern of circulation that brings warmer sea surface temperatures to the tropical eastern Pacific and can elevate global temperatures.
Henson expects La Niña, which is associated with cooler temperatures, to take effect later this year and subsequently reduce average temperatures.
“Even if next year doesn’t bring similar records, we know what the long term forecast is, and that’s warmer and warmer over time,” Henson said, adding: “When you turn up the burners and leave them on for a century, you’re going to see the water boil.”
Copernicus uses climate reanalysis data, which combines real-world observations and computer modeling of atmospheric circulation, to track global temperature. The program’s records date back to 1940. Until Sunday, the record for hottest day was 16.8 C on Aug. 12, 2016.
Monday’s record could still be broken.
“The event is still ongoing and it is possible the date of the peak may still change, but our data suggest we may see slightly lower temperatures in the next few days,” Carlo Buontempo, the director of Copernicus Climate Change Service, said in a statement.
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