Near Prodromos, about a hundred kilometers from Athens, August 21, 2023. SPYROS BAKALIS/AFP
Global warming is pushing human societies into previously unknown territory. On Wednesday September 6, the European Copernicus Institute announced that the months of June, July and August were the hottest in history, with an average temperature across the globe of 16.77°C, or 0.66°C above the average values for the period 1991-1991. 2020. Well above – 2 tenths – the previous record from 2019. “Climate collapse has begun,” complained UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Our climate is imploding faster than we can handle, and extreme weather events are hitting every corner of the planet. » According to Copernicus, 2023 could be the hottest year ever recorded.
Indeed, the last few months have been marked by a litany of extreme events that seemed like a foretaste of decades to come. Or perhaps already the signs of the introduction of a new normal. During the summer season, climate crises followed one another in the Northern Hemisphere: heat domes, marine heat waves, droughts. Less and less unlikely “dangers” that triggered a cascade of consequences: forest fires, record rainfall, floods.
The first inexorable indicator of ongoing change is the temperature level. Thermometers were rising everywhere: 53.3°C in Death Valley in the United States on July 16; 52.2°C in Sanbao, northwest of Xinjiang, China, on the same day; more than 50°C in Iran. A threshold was also exceeded in Iraq and North Africa at the beginning of August and in the Mediterranean the temperature approached 47°C to 48°C in Sardinia and Sicily at the end of July. Heated screeds sometimes become clogged for weeks. The city of Phoenix lived in an atmosphere over 100°F (43°C) for thirty-one days. Greece has been under a heat warning for more than 16 days. From August 17th to 24th, France experienced the strongest heat wave since August 15th.
Most important climate events
from June 2023 to August 31, 2023
Anomalies in mean surface air temperatures
in July 2023, compared to the July 1991-2020 average
– 7°C
– 4
0
4
7°C
THE Canada suffered from violent climatic events that were difficult to control. The country has been ravaged by flames since March: more than 16 million hectares have already burned down, which is five times the area of Belgium. At the same time, on July 21, it rained in Nova Scotia in twenty-four hours, equivalent to three months’ worth of rainfall (250 millimeters).
Torrential rains and storms also swept through this region of the world. A state of emergency was declared there on July 9thNew York State
after flooding caused by torrential rain that left one woman dead. Additionally, on July 17, the temperature rose above 54°C in Death Valley and a heat wave caused 112 deaths in northern Mexico. In
ArizonaPhoenix experienced temperatures above 100°F (43°C) for thirty-one days in a row in July. In
CaliforniaOn July 14, the temperature rose to 54°C, then Tropical Storm Hilary made landfall on August 21, causing rushing water.
Southern Europe and the Maghreb experienced record temperatures: 50.4°C in Agadir, Morocco46.4 °C in Santarém, Portugaland 42.4 °C in Toulouse, in
France. Additionally, on July 24, the Mediterranean Sea recorded an unprecedented daily mean surface temperature of 28.71°C. At the same time, fires ravaged these geographic areas throughout the summer. In the
Canary Islands, the island of Tenerife experienced the largest fire in its history; There Greece There were devastating fires in July and August.
On July 5, during Storm Poly, the
The Netherlands recorded wind speeds of more than 90 mph (146 km/h), a strength never before recorded at this time of year. The next day, torrential rain fell in Zaragoza. Spain. In addition, a hurricane on July 30 caused the deaths of eight people Russia °C and five people died in a storm in the Balkans on July 20th.
In ChinaOn July 16, a record heat of 52.2°C was observed in Xinjiang. On July 29, Typhoon Doksuri caused massive rainfall in Beijing, causing more than 62 deaths in the region. THE Japan
is experiencing its hottest summer. On July 10, heavy rains hit the archipelago, killing eight people. Despite the torrential rains of August 14 that killed 65 people in Himachal Pradesh, theIndia recorded the hottest and driest month of August since weather records began.
Sources: Copernicus; The world
Infographic: The World
The North Atlantic has been experiencing a temperature anomaly for many months (between 1°C and 1.5°C above the 1981-2022 average) and the highest ocean temperature, 38.3°C, was recorded on July 24 near the coast of Florida . Since April, the average surface temperature has been at an unprecedented level. From July 31 to August 31, it even exceeded the previous record set in March 2016 every day and reached the unprecedented symbolic mark of 21 ° C.
In addition, there were temperature anomalies in the southern hemisphere that frightened scientists. Like the 38°C recorded on August 1st in Argentina, where the first effects of the return of El Niño could be felt.
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