U.N. Announces July 2023 Will Likely Be the Hottest Month on Record
With just days to go, the record seems almost certainly within reach.
- By Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Jul 28, 2023
July 2023 is on target to outpace previous years as the hottest month in recorded history.
On July 27, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres revealed scientists’ conclusion. According to the European Union's (EU) Copernicus Climate Change Service, data showed the global mean surface air temperature at 16.95°C for the month’s first 23 days. Although July is typically the hottest month of any year, this data surpasses the previous record of 16.63°C recorded in July 2019.
The EU and the U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) corroborate the U.N.’s claim. In a joint statement, the two organizations said they considered July 2023 to be “extremely likely” to become the hottest month on record. That data goes back 174 years and follows the hottest May and June on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“We don't have to wait for the end of the month to know this. Short of a mini-Ice Age over the next days, July 2023 will shatter records across the board,” Guterres said in New York (via Reuters). “Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning," he told reporters, adding "the era of global boiling has arrived.”
According to Axios, an independent research study argued that July 2023 could be the hottest month since at least 100,000 years ago. Some analysts now believe 2023 could pass 2016 to become the hottest year on record.
About the Author
Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor for Environmental Protection.