ICYMI: July warmest month on record, says NOAA

July has been reported as the warmest month in 2023 with the surface temperature rising to 2.02°F (1.12°C) above the 20th-century average of 60.4°F (15.8°C).

According to a report, July is likely the warmest month in the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) 174-year record.

The NOAA said the development marked the first time a July temperature exceeded 1.8°F (1.0°C) above the long-term average.

“July 2023 was 0.36°F (0.20°C) warmer than the previous July record from 2021, but the anomaly was 0.41°F (0.23°C) lower than the all-time highest monthly temperature anomaly on record (March 2016),” the organisation said.

“July 2023 marked the 47th consecutive July and the 533rd consecutive month with temperatures at least nominally above the 20th-century average.”

From its record, NOAA added that July is the warmest month of the year climatological.

“As the warmest July on record, July 2023, at least nominally, was the warmest month on record for the globe,” the body said.

“For the fourth-consecutive month, global ocean surface temperature hit a record high. El Niño conditions that emerged in June continued into July, and on July 13 NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center issued a statement announcing a greater than 90% chance that El Niño will continue through the Northern Hemisphere winter.”

Before this current temperature rise, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said June was the hottest month in 2023.