Germany is currently experiencing a rather average summer, but worldwide it has never been as hot as in July since measurements began. The Earth observation program Copernicus registered record values both on land and in the oceans.
Last July was the warmest month worldwide since weather records began. As the European earth observation program Copernicus reported that the surface temperature of the earth was 0.72 degrees above the July average from 1991 to 2020 and 0.33 degrees higher than the warmest month on record, July 2019, when the global average temperature was 16.63 degrees.
According to the data, the world’s hottest day to date was July 6, 2023 with a global average temperature of 17.08 degrees.
The sea surface temperature was also exceptionally high in July, it said. Globally, it was 0.51 degrees Celsius above the average between 1991 and 2020. In the North Atlantic, it was even 1.05 degrees Celsius above the average July values.
Lots of rain in the north, heat and drought in the south
Especially for Germany, July was definitely not a record month, as an expert from the German Weather Service (DWD) said. Although the month was too warm in Germany in a long-term comparison, it was not record-breaking either for July or overall.
According to the information, there was also more rain than usual in large parts of northern Europe and between the Black Sea and Ukraine to northwestern Russia. At the same time, Italy and south-eastern Europe experienced an unusual drought. According to Copernicus, the extent of the sea ice at the South Pole, where winter is currently prevailing, was the smallest it had been since satellite observations began.
According to the scientific service, the global average temperature was 1.5 degrees above the pre-industrial level (1850 to 1900) and thus above the threshold that the Paris climate agreement should not exceed in the long term.
Also on record course for the year as a whole
The temperature record had been expected: Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) had already declared in July that the world was on the way to a new global high. According to the Copernicus analysis, the global average temperature for the year as a whole is currently 0.43 degrees above average – and thus the third highest value ever measured.
However, it is expected that the values in the coming months will approach the previous record year 2016, explained Copernicus. At that time, the second half of the year was “relatively cool”, while the coming months up to the end of the year are likely to be “relatively warm” due to the El Niño weather phenomenon.
“Serious consequences for people and planet”
While the Copernicus data only goes back as far as 1940, climate research, which reconstructs historical climate from tree rings or air bubbles in glaciers, suggests July temperatures are unprecedented in thousands of years, said the Copernicus director at the European center for medium-range weather forecast (ECMWF), Carlos Buontempo.
“These records have serious consequences for people and for the planet, which is subject to increasingly frequent and intense extreme events,” warned Copernicus Deputy Director Samantha Burgess.
Burgess said while the current increase is temporary, it underscores the urgent need to reduce the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.
Increase in Europe particularly fast
According to experts, not nearly enough is being done worldwide to significantly limit the rise in temperature. According to the UN, the efforts made so far would lead to a warming of around 2.8 degrees. In Europe, temperatures are rising almost twice as fast as the global average: According to Copernicus, in the past five years it has been an average of 2.2 degrees warmer in Europe than in the pre-industrial era, and 1.2 degrees worldwide.
The EU program regularly publishes reports on the status of global warming, such as temperature developments or the melting of the ice sheet. The Copernicus data is based on computer-generated analyzes involving measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world. The US climate agency NOAA will publish its data for July in mid-August.