Based on ERA5 data from Copernicus C3S (Copernicus Climate Change Service), July's initial three weeks are the warmest ever recorded, with the month likely to be the hottest July and month on record. This extreme heat has caused heatwaves across North America, Asia, and Europe, leading to health, environmental, and economic consequences, coupled with significant wildfires in Canada and Greece.
July 6 marked the hottest day ever recorded, surpassing the 2016 record, with July 5 and 7 also very warm. Global temperatures briefly exceeded the 1.5°C threshold above preindustrial levels in the first and third weeks. Since May, sea surface temperatures have been consistently higher than usual, contributing to the exceptionally warm July.
July 2023 is expected to become the hottest July and month on record, continuing the trend from the previous hottest June. ERA5 data indicates that July 2019 held the previous records for hottest July and hottest month on record.
Carlo Buontempo, Director of C3S, states that record-breaking temperatures are a result of the ongoing trend of significant global temperature increases, primarily driven by human-caused emissions. WMO predicts a 98% chance that one of the next five years will be the warmest on record, with a 66% likelihood of temporarily surpassing 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in at least one of those years.
Source: Copernicus