Summary:
-
Historic Temperature Record: On Sunday, global temperatures soared to their highest levels in recorded history, with a daily average of 17.09 degrees Celsius (62.76 degrees Fahrenheit). This historic day follows 13 straight months of unprecedented heat, making 2024 the hottest year scientists have ever documented.
-
Significant Heat Increase: Though Sunday was only slightly warmer than the previous hottest day, the difference was extraordinarily significant. Before July 2023, the record was set in August 2016 at 16.8 degrees Celsius (62.24 degrees Fahrenheit). In the past year, global temperatures have exceeded that old record on 57 days.
-
Uncharted Climate Territory: Scientists believe that Sunday may have been the hottest day since the start of the last Ice Age over 100,000 years ago. Recent heat levels are considered nearly impossible over the last stretch of geologic time. Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus Climate Change Service, emphasizes that as the climate continues to warm, more records will be broken in the coming months and years.
!