July Was the Hottest Month on Record, New Data Show

“July has re-written climate history, with dozens of new temperature records at local, national, and global level,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

The findings are particularly significant, the WMO noted, because the previous hottest month, July 2016, occurred during one of the strongest El Niños ever.  This phenomenon, which starts with unusually warm ocean water and changes weather worldwide, contributes to heightened global temperatures.  But unlike 2016, the WMO said, 2019 has not been marked by a strong El Niño.

“This year alone, we have seen temperature records shattered from New Delhi to Anchorage, from Paris to Santiago, from Adelaide and to the Arctic Circle.  If we do not take action on climate change now, these extreme weather events are just the tip of the iceberg.  And, indeed, the iceberg is also rapidly melting,” said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“Preventing irreversible climate disruption is the race of our lives, and for our lives.  It is a race that we can and must win,” he added.

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