September Broke Heat Records ‘By Large Margin,’ Experts Say
How do you feel about these record-breaking temperatures?
Updated October 5, 2023, 3:00 p.m. EST
- Last month was the hottest September ever recorded, scientists report. Climate experts said they are in disbelief by the heat.
- The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service emphasized the concerning string of record-breaking monthly temperatures, as this was the hottest summer "by a large margin."
- September was the most anomalously hot month on record, meaning its deviation from the average was higher than any previous month. Temperatures were almost a full degree hotter than Sept. 2020, which had the previous record.
- Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Service, said:
"Normally when you're beating a record, it's by hundredths of a degree...so this is really a huge amount."
- Zeke Hausfather, climate researcher lead for financial service company Stripe, said on X:
"This month was, in my professional opinion as a climate scientist - absolutely gobsmackingly bananas."
Updated July 28, 2023, 1:30 p.m. PST
- According to scientists, July is not only the hottest month since record-keeping began but is most likely the hottest month in over 120,000 years.
- U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has said we are now in the "age of global boiling." He continued:
“Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning. It is still possible to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 C [above pre-industrial levels] and avoid the very worst of climate change. But only with dramatic, immediate climate action.”
- Ocean temperatures are also at record levels, and in mid-May, ocean temperatures reached unprecedented levels for that time of year.
- Samantha Burgess, from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, said, “These are the hottest temperatures in human history."
- Burgess continued:
“We are seven months into 2023, and almost every month this year has been in the top five hottest on record.”
- A new report has found that the heat waves in the U.S. and Europe would have been "virtually impossible" without climate change.
- Kim Cobb, a climate scientist at Brown University, said:
“It is scary to remember that in another decade, this will be viewed as a relatively cool year, most likely. If people don’t like what they’re seeing this summer, they will be in for quite a shock at the higher warming levels we’re heading for.”
“For the entire planet, it is a disaster. Short of a mini-Ice Age over the next days, July 2023 will shatter records across the board.”
What's the story?
- This week, Earth experienced the hottest days ever recorded in modern history.
- Scientists reported that a blistering heatwave blanketed regions ranging from North America to Antarctica. Forecasters warn that a multiyear period of exceptional warmth may be approaching, driven by greenhouse gas emissions and the return of El Niño.
The summer so far
- On Tuesday, the global average climbed to the highest temperatures since the records began in the 1940s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.
According to preliminary data from the #ERA5 dataset, the daily global average 2m #temperature reached 17.03°C on Tuesday, setting a new record.
— Copernicus ECMWF (@CopernicusECMWF) July 6, 2023
Get the data 👉https://t.co/V3rirrGxRD pic.twitter.com/JsSyva9skY
- This past June was the warmest ever recorded, with deadly high temperatures in Mexico and the southern U.S. Brian McNoldy, senior research scientist at the University of Miami, said:
"It's so far out of line of what's been observed that it's hard to wrap your head around. It doesn't seem real."
The big picture
- While scientists are concerned, many are unsurprised by this week's numbers. Climate scientist at Berkeley Earth, Dr. Zeke Hausfather, said the temperatures are "well within the realm" of what scientists feared could be a new reality.
- Earth's average temperatures have increased nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit since the 19th century and show no sign of slowing. The next few years will show an even more intense temperature growth because of the El Niño event.
- Scientists are especially nervous about El Niño's impacts on ocean life. This April, the global sea surface reached a new record high temperature, increasing quicker than ever before and baffling scientists. Experts worry that the temperature could reach a concerning level by the end of next year. Hausfather said:
"A big reason we're seeing so many records shattered is that we're transitioning out of an unusually long three-year La Niña, which suppressed temperatures, and into a strong El Niño."
How do you feel about these record-breaking temperatures?
-Jamie Epstein
(Photo credit: iStock/Marc Bruxelle)
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Safety & Security
Climate Reanalyzer service hosted by the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute reported world temperature records were broken a 2nd day in a row on the 4th of July causing 12 heat related deaths in Texas and Louisiana, and 112 deaths in Mexico, 3X higher than 2022, especially where there are less resources for people to keep cool.
Emergency room visits increased by 1/3rd compared to 2022, and SPCA has received hundreds of pet related heat reports.
"For the week of June 18 to June 24, the region averaged 837 heat-related visits per 100,000 emergency department visits compared to 639 visits per 100,000 emergency department visits during the same period in 2022, CDC data shows."
"On average, 702 heat-related deaths occur each year in the U.S., with roughly 9,235 people hospitalized due to heat, and 67,512 emergency department visits caused by heat, according to the CDC."
"Between June 1 and June 20, the Houston SPCA received 243 heat-related reports, compared to the same time frame in 2022, the organization revealed."
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/how-extreme-heat-can-affect-our-pets-and-how-to-help-them?loggedin=true&rnd=1688700955397
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/er-visits-ems-calls-heat-related-emergencies-texas/story?id=100418107
https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2023/6/29/deadly-heatwave-envelops-mexico-and-southern-us
https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/05/tuesday-was-worlds-hottest-day-on-record-breaking-mondays-record
CAUSES ASKS: "How do you feel about these record-breaking temperatures?" ME: Unsurprised that it happened (been following climate change science since the 1980s), but still a little surprised it hasn't happened sooner.
These heat waves are just Mother Nature doing her very natural thing. (1) Climate is driven by the Sun heating the Earth in accordance with the Milankovich cycles. These cycles are about 100,000 years long. These cycles drive ice ages of 90,000 to 125,000 years long followed by interglacial periods of 10,000 to 15,000 years long. We are currently about 12,000 years into the current interglacial period. (2) CO2 cannot physically warm the air more than 1.5C (thermodynamic analysis) which has already been realized. (3) For additional information regarding weather and climate, get the free application, "Inconvenient Facts", at the Apple App Store or Google Play. The app gives you 60 facts and sources that totally debunks "climate change" as an existential threat to humanity. That threat lies solely with political parties who care more about their power (imagined or real) than the fate of their represented population.
I love this warm weather. We basically haven't had a decent summer this year cause it's been a bit chilly and with the fires in Canada, we haven't seen much sunlight. Thisnis the first week that I believe it's been above 80F.
Gives climate extremists a topic and gets China stronger.
I'm lucky enough that I don't live in one of these areas, but still very concerned. We need to take climate change seriously and act now to stop it and take preventive actions to stop heat like this from killing people and damaging the economy.
Like one of the environmentalist stated the other day. We could stop every fossil fuel vehicle in the world today. And it would not help cool down the atmosphere. That will take years and years. All the features of convenience we have today contributes to the CO2 foot print. Just how many folks are willingly to give up those conveniences. Not!
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/arctic-was-once-warmer-covered-trees
For some perspective, scientists believe the earth has been much warmer in the past... reportedly the Arctic is eight degrees Celsius cooler now than it used to be.
It's pretty presumptious to expect the earth to stop changing just because we want it to.
Watch the Stossel interview with Climate Scientist Judith Curry, then see show much you care about the "Hotest September Ever"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0PQ1cOlCJI
"The leaves of brown, came tumbling down, remember, torched by September, with no rain."
The responsiblity in this country for the climate disasters we are living through lies with Republicans and big business who refuse to face up to their responsibilities to LEAD.
It's called weather.
Climate change !
You guys need to have solar and green energy in AL to tackle climate change, we need high speed rail in Birmingham where I live, multiple EV's fast charging stations since I'm planning on getting a EV when my Honda Civic hybrid doesn't drive anymore by next year or the year after that and also we need more public transit and Intercity high speed rail for our state like Florida with Brightline please contact Brightline and Amtrak to bring high speed rail to our state
Only a moron would not be concerned about this.
More proof our planet is on its deathbed. Time to take this seriously.
We must do much more regarding climate change. It's urgent and wr aren't moving fast enough.
Not good re. these extreme temps and weather patterns. We all (globally) need to get very serious about curving climate change. So, the time for action is NOW (actually several years ago), not just talk.
This is going to be the hottest year on record, and yet one party continues to bicker amongst themselves and engage in conspiracy theories instead of acting while the world literally burns.
Wake up, Republicans! We need climate action and we need it now. We are not prepared for the ravages of the climate crisis, and the FEMA money isn't going to be enough if we don't start doing more to prevent these disasters.
It's weather..... it's been hotter and it's been cooler. Its not controlled by humans no matter how hard you try.
Humans are so egotistical to think we have so much control that we can change the weather. Really? God created it. We are responsible to take care of it, but climate has changed throughout history. Long before humans started keeping records of it. Yes, we should do everything we can to not destroy what we've been given. The United States does this better than any other nation, period. Don't tell me to drive a battery powered car to make you feel better. Where do you think the tires come from? How about the interior or the belts? Don't be naive. This just shows the level of ignorance the left has. And BTW, how do you plan to dispose of the lithium when the batteries wear out, just saying....
I don't think that the majority of the population take global warming seriously.
The last 2 weeks have been the hottest 14-day stretch ever recorded in Las Vegas. Average high: 112.3° Average low: 89.1°
The struggle is real for every living thing.
What's the plan????
I'm waiting for one of our MAGA friends to tell us how they remember how hot it was 120,000 years ago, and that this is "normal."
Our government needs to do something to prevent more climate change. All the money in the world is worthless if there is no planet to spend it on.
Are there seriously people on this board who feel nothing for the millions of the people affected by the heat? Do you also feel nothing for people that are affected by hurricane, floods, earthquakes, and fire? Because if you do, then, you don't care about Americans, which means you don't care about your country because that's what makes up your country. Just because you make nasty comments online doesn't make me believe that you truly are so callous towards fellow human beings. I don't want to believe you are that broken. And if you are, please seek help not so much for others, but for your own well-being.
This is from NBC news
https://apple.news/ALDjetkiWQH-mwMrn0CvybA
Because of corporate greed and the stupidity and lack of respect for the earth of the public in denying global warming we're now is this mess and it's probably only going to get a lot worse which will cause needless deaths, food shortages, population displacement, etc. But we brought this crap on ourselves so now we will pay the price.Drastic action worldwide is needed to try and avoid a total disaster. I only hope that enough people have woken up to that fact and will do what's needed-NOW!!!!!