Summer 2023 Was The Hottest Ever

July and August of 2023 were the warmest on record. This was reported by Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation program, which consists of a set of systems that collect information from satellites, as well as ground, sea, and air sensors.

The average temperature during June, July, and August 2023 was 16.77 degrees Celsius, which is even 0.66 degrees above the average norm. The hottest month on record was August 2023, which is estimated to be about 1.5 degrees warmer than the average in the pre-industrial period, i.e. the period from 1850 to 1900.

Global sea surface temperatures are also at their highest ever for the third consecutive month, and the Antarctic sea ice extent is at an all-time low: -12% below the average since satellite observations began in the 1970s. 2023 as a whole (January to August) was the second warmest year on record, only 2016 was warmer.

“Eight months into 2023, we are experiencing the second warmest year to date, only slightly cooler than 2016, and August is estimated to have been about 1.5°C warmer than the pre-industrial levels,” commented Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, ECMWF. “What we are seeing is not only new extreme events, but the persistence of these record conditions, as well as the impact it is having on people and the planet, is a clear consequence of the global warming of the climate system.”