2023 Was Just Confirmed As the Hottest Year on Record — What to Know
While every month in 2023 was a bit warmer than expected, July and August were the warmest two months on record.
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Last year was officially the hottest year on record, surpassing the previous record by a scorching margin.
The year 2023 saw an average temperature of 14.98 degrees Celsius (58.96 degrees Fahrenheit), according to Copernicus, a service of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts which specializes in climate change. The recorded temperature is significantly higher than the previous record of 14.81 degrees Celsius (58.66 degrees Fahrenheit) set in 2016.
In addition to setting a new record, 2023 was also the first year on record where all days were at least 1 degrees Celsius higher than the 1850 to 1900 levels. Copernicus’s global temperature data records date back to 1850.
"2023 was an exceptional year with climate records tumbling like dominoes,” Samantha Burgess, the deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said in a statement. “Not only is 2023 the warmest year on record, it is also the first year with all days over 1°C warmer than the pre-industrial period. Temperatures during 2023 likely exceed those of any period in at least the last 100,000 years.”
While every month in 2023 was a bit warmer than expected, July and August were the warmest two months on record.
Copernicus noted the record temperatures corresponded with a “large number of extreme events” from heatwaves and floods to droughts and wildfires, including the Canadian wildfires.
The Arctic also saw its warmest-ever summer on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
“The overriding message from this year’s report card is that the time for action is now,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. “NOAA and our federal partners have ramped up our support and collaboration with state, tribal and local communities to help build climate resilience. At the same time, we as a nation and global community must dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are driving these changes.”
In the south, Antarctic sea ice reached record lows in 2023 for the corresponding time of the year, according to Copernicus.
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