June was warmer than ever

The warmest June ever measured was last month. The worldwide temperature was about 0.5 degrees higher than average between 1991 and 2020, the European climate service Copernicus reports. This means that the heat record for the month of June 2019 has been broken.

Northwestern Europe saw record temperatures, and parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Asia and eastern Australia were warmer than normal. Copernicus says parts of southern Europe and Turkey were wetter than normal. For example, heavy rainfall has caused floods in Turkey and Kosovo, among other countries. Other regions experienced a lot of drought in June. Here and there it led to serious forest fires.

El Niño phenomenon is getting stronger

Because of climate change, the oceans were very hot in June, which in turn led to warm air. Among other things, the sea surface in the North Atlantic was very warm. The sea around Ireland and the United Kingdom also experienced notable heat waves. Meanwhile, the Pacific Ocean was getting warmer. Copernicus sees the natural El Niño phenomenon getting stronger, which could lead to more temperature records.

Copernicus previously stated that the first eleven days of June were warmer than ever measured for that time of year. As a result, the temperature has also risen, on average, by more than 1.5 degrees compared to what it was before the industrial era.

The hottest day ever recorded

The US National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reported earlier this week that Monday, July 3, was the warmest day on record worldwide. The global average temperature was more than 17 degrees Celsius, according to NCEP. The previous record was recorded in August 2016 when the mercury reached 16.92 degrees.

It’s been very hot in parts of the world lately. China is currently experiencing a heat wave with temperatures rising above 35 degrees. Temperatures of nearly 50 degrees have been measured in North Africa. Even Antarctica was unusually warm.

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