July 2023 Was The Hottest Month Ever Since 1880, Says NASA; Predicts This Big Impact In 2024
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) has announced that July 2023 was the hottest month on record since 1880.
The scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York said that July 2023 was hotter than any other month in the global temperature record.
In total, July 2023 was 0.43 degrees Fahrenheit (F) (0.24 degrees Celsius (C)) hotter than any previous July in NASA’s records, and it was 2.1 F (1.18 C) above the average July from 1951 to 1980. The primary focus of the GISS studies are long-term temperature shifts across many decades and centuries, and a fixed base period provides anomalies consistent over time. Temperature "normals" are defined over several decades, typically 30 years.
Continents affected
Sections of South America, North Africa, North America, and the Antarctic Peninsula were particularly hot, with temperatures around 7.2 F (4 C) above the norm. On the whole, the intense heat this summer resulted in millions being under heat advisories and was associated with numerous heat-related illnesses and fatalities.
The record July continues a longstanding trend of human-induced warming, more so due to greenhouse gas emissions evident over the last 40 years. According to NASA figures, the five hottest Julys since 1880 all occurred in the previous five years.
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How does NASA compile data
NASA compiles its temperature data from surface air temperature readings from tens of thousands of meteorological stations, in addition to sea surface temperature data gathered by ship- and buoy-based instruments. This raw data is evaluated using methodologies that consider the varied distribution of temperature stations globally and potential urban heating influences that might distort the calculations.
Why was July so hot?
Elevated sea surface temperatures played a part in July's record warmth. NASA's studies reveal particularly high ocean temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific, indicative of the El Niño that began emerging in May 2023. Events like El Niño or La Niña, which heat or cool the tropical Pacific Ocean, can introduce minor variability in global temperatures from year to year. However, these effects are not typically evident when El Niño begins in the Northern Hemisphere's summer. NASA anticipates the most significant effects of El Niño in February, March, and April 2024.
