July Was Hottest Month Ever Recorded, According to NOAA
Li Cohen
8/14/2021 2:34:16 PM
Li Cohen wrote this article in CBS News:
It's been a summer of sweltering heat waves and raging wildfires, and now it's confirmed: July 2021 was the hottest month on Earth since record-keeping began. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the findings Friday, calling it part of a worsening trend related to climate change.
"In this case, first place is the worst place to be," NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. "July is typically the world's warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded. This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe."
According to data released by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, the average worldwide land and ocean surface temperature in July was 1.67 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the 20th century average of 60.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Official record-keeping of global temperatures began 142 years ago.
Among the latest findings, scientists also said sea ice in the Arctic had its fourth-smallest coverage for July in 43 years of record-keeping. The extent of the ice decreased by 1.14 million square miles in July alone, a loss of 36,800 square miles per day, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. NOAA also said that global tropical cyclone activity has been above normal so far this year.
Increasing temperatures not only drive more heat waves, they also contribute to more intense weather disasters of other kinds, including hurricanes and droughts.
It's been a summer of sweltering heat waves and raging wildfires, and now it's confirmed: July 2021 was the hottest month on Earth since record-keeping began. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the findings Friday, calling it part of a worsening trend related to climate change.
"In this case, first place is the worst place to be," NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. "July is typically the world's warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded. This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe."
According to data released by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, the average worldwide land and ocean surface temperature in July was 1.67 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the 20th century average of 60.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Official record-keeping of global temperatures began 142 years ago.
Among the latest findings, scientists also said sea ice in the Arctic had its fourth-smallest coverage for July in 43 years of record-keeping. The extent of the ice decreased by 1.14 million square miles in July alone, a loss of 36,800 square miles per day, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. NOAA also said that global tropical cyclone activity has been above normal so far this year.
Increasing temperatures not only drive more heat waves, they also contribute to more intense weather disasters of other kinds, including hurricanes and droughts.