NASA Confirms July 2023 is Warmest Month on Record
Released on August 14, 2023
July 2023 was hotter than any other month in the global temperature record, according to an analysis by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). Earth in July 2023 was 1.18ºC (2.12ºF) warmer than the average for the month, and warmer than any other month in the 143-year record.
"We know that this is having impacts, said NASA Climate Scientist and GISS Director Gavin Schmidt. “We know that it is inducing heat waves. We know that it is leading to more intense rainfall, we're seeing that in many places in the world. And we know it's a contributing factor to the growth of wildfires in areas that have been affected by the temperatures."
The warmer-than-usual July continues a long-term trend of warming, driven primarily by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. July 2023 was 0.24°C (0.43°F) warmer than any previous July in NASA’s record. And according to GISS temperature anomaly data, the top-five hottest Julys since 1880 have all happened in the past five years. Read more here.
Data supporting this temperature analysis comes from tens of thousands of meteorological stations, along with instruments on ships and buoys.