July 3 Hottest day, per US National Centers, Environmental Prediction.
As heatwaves scorched the globe, the average worldwide hottest day temperature rose to 17.01 degrees Celsius (62.62 degrees Fahrenheit), breaking the previous record of 16.92 degrees Celsius (62.46 degrees Fahrenheit) set in August 2016.
In recent weeks, a severe heat dome has plagued the southern United States. With temperatures exceeding 35C (95F), China has been experiencing an ongoing heat wave.
Temperatures in North Africa have reached about 50C (122F), while thousands of people in the Middle East have been suffering from extremely intense heat while doing the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
Even the winter-bound continent of Antarctica had unusually warm temperatures. The Vernadsky Research Base in Ukraine, which is located in the Argentine Islands of the white continent, just smashed its July temperature record with 8.7C (47.6F).
“We shouldn’t be hailing this as a major achievement. It’s a death sentence for people and ecosystems, according to climate scientist Friederike Otto of the Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment in the United Kingdom.
Scientists attributed the problem to both climate change and the emergence of the El Nino weather trend. The most recent big El Nio occurred in 2016, the warmest year on record up until this point.
