July 21 set the record for the Earth’s hottest day on record – a record that was broken the very next day on Monday, July 22.
According to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) data, the daily global average temperature on Sunday reached a new record high at 17.09 C, slightly exceeding the previous record of 17.08 C from July 6, 2023.
The record stood for one day.
On Monday, the daily global average temperature reached a new record high at 17.15 C.
Scientists at the agency say the worst may not be over.
“The event is still ongoing and it is possible the date of the peak may still change, but our data suggest we may see slightly lower temperatures in the next few days,” Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo said in a statement Tuesday.
The previous record set on July 6, 2023, was part of a long streak of record-breaking daily global average temperatures in July and August 2023. Since July 3, 2023, there have been 57 days that have exceeded that previous record. All those days were distributed between July and August 2023, and during June and July so far in 2024.
“What is truly staggering is how large the difference is between the temperature of the last 13 months and the previous temperature records,” Buontempo said.
“We are now in truly uncharted territory and as the climate keeps warming, we are bound to see new records being broken in future months and years.”
The report said that while 2024 was on track to be the warmest year on record, beating 2023, it was too early to say right now. This is because the final four months of 2023 were exceptionally warm, raising the annual average.
How 2024 fares in comparison will largely depend on the development and intensity of the next phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Copernicus said.
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The report said the sudden rise in daily global average temperature is related to well above-average temperatures over large parts of Antarctica.
“What’s more, Antarctic sea ice extent is almost as low as it was at this time last year, leading to much above-average temperatures over parts of the Southern Ocean,” the report said.
What about in Canada?
Earlier this month, scientists at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) said the above-normal temperatures in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada were made two to 10 times more likely as a result of human-caused climate change.
The analysis comes from ECCC’s new rapid extreme weather event attribution system, a tool meant to determine the degree to which climate change affects extreme climate events.
It comes as the country continues to face the threats of extreme weather and a changing climate.
Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said in April this year that the government is “preparing for the worst” when it comes to wildfires after a devastating season last year.
“Early projections for 2024 indicate the potential for early and above-normal fire activity over the spring months as a result of ongoing drought forecasts,” he said.
Metrics provided by environmental officials at that time had warned Canada may be at risk of another “catastrophic” wildfire season due to extreme temperatures boosted by El Niño.
Aly Hyder Ali, oil and gas program manager at Environmental Defence Canada, said extreme weather events will get worse if pollution from fossil fuels is not reduced.
“Not only do we need the federal government to urgently limit and reduce greenhouse gas emissions … we also need all levels of governments to plan for phasing out fossil fuels, which are causing the climate crisis and associated heat waves, floods, wildfires and other climate disasters,” Ali said.
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