Historic Temperature Record: July 21 Hottest Day Ever Globally

Sunday, July 21, was the hottest day ever recorded globally, according to preliminary data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

The global average surface air temperature reached 17.09 degrees Celsius on Sunday, slightly higher than the previous record set in July last year of 17.08 degrees Celsius.

Heat waves have scorched large areas of the United States, Europe and Russia over the past week. Copernicus confirmed to Reuters that the average daily temperature record set last year appears to have been broken on Sunday in its records dating back to 1940.

Last year, the record was broken for four days in a row between July 3 and 6 as climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, led to extreme heat in the Northern Hemisphere.

Every month since June 2023 – 13 months in a row – has been the warmest since records began, compared to the corresponding month in previous years, Copernicus said.

Some scientists have suggested that 2024 could surpass 2023 as the warmest year on record as climate change and the naturally occurring El Nino weather phenomenon – which ended in April – sent temperatures soaring this year.