Summer 2023 Sets Global Temperature Records
The year is on pace to perhaps be the hottest on record.
- By Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Sep 08, 2023
The summer of 2023 wasn’t just a hot one but delivered record-breaking temperatures worldwide.
According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the overall heat in June, July and August 2023 collectively soared to a record 16.77 degrees Celsius, 0.66 degrees above average. All three months were individually the hottest June, July and August on record. C3S based its findings on changes in global surface air temperature, sea ice cover and hydrological variables.
Funded by the European Union and implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, C3S pools data from sources such as satellites, weather stations and ships to track and report on climate metrics. Europe itself recorded its fifth warmest summer season with temperatures averaging at 19.63 degrees Celsius, 0.83 degrees Celsius above the standard.
In addition, C3S identified record-breaking anomalies in sea surface temperatures, particularly in the North Atlantic and across global oceans. This increase in marine temperatures spawned several marine heatwaves, affecting waters around the UK, Ireland and the Mediterranean during summer 2023. Some regions saw above-average rainfall, while others reported wildfires.
“Global temperature records continue to tumble in 2023,” C3S Deputy Head Samantha Burgess said according to Reuters. “The scientific evidence is overwhelming. We will continue to see more climate records and more intense and frequent extreme weather events impacting society and ecosystems until we stop emitting greenhouse gases.”
With four months remaining, 2023 is on track to challenge 2016 as the hottest year on record.
About the Author
Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor for Environmental Protection.