Global average temperatures continued to rise above the July 21 record of 17.09 degrees Celsius due to a warmer-than-normal winter in the Arctic.
According to preliminary data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the average global temperature reached 17.15 degrees Celsius on July 22, higher than the previous day’s record of 17.09 degrees Celsius, according to NBC News. In other words, Earth experienced its two hottest days in a row. Higher-than-normal winter temperatures in Antarctica helped push global temperatures to new highs. The temperature record marks 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 at Yale Climate Connections, said that while he was not surprised that the record was broken, the spike in temperatures over the past two years was still “startling.”
People around the world are feeling the effects of extreme heat this week and throughout the summer. California recorded temperatures above 37 degrees Celsius in many areas on July 22, contributing to the risk of wildfires in the region. Temperatures rose to 47.8 degrees Celsius in Al Dhaid, a city northeast of Dubai. Southern France continues to swelter, and parts of Spain and Portugal have issued heat warnings.
In addition to the effects of climate change, this summer has been particularly hot due to El Niño, a natural circulation pattern that brings warmer sea surface temperatures to the eastern Pacific Ocean and raises global temperatures. Henson expects La Niña, a phenomenon associated with cooler temperatures, to have an impact later this year, bringing down average temperatures. “Even if next year doesn’t match those records, we know the long-term forecast is for temperatures to continue to get warmer over time,” Henson said.
Copernicus uses climate analysis data, combining real-world observations and computer models of atmospheric circulation, to track global temperatures. It has been keeping records since 1940. Before July 21, the hottest day on record was 16.8 degrees Celsius (61.4 degrees Fahrenheit), set on August 12, 2016. The July 22 record could still be broken, said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.