Hot weather in Italy
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)July this year was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, new data from America suggests.
The US National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) suggests the combined land and ocean surface temperature around the world was up by 0.93 of a degree on the 20th century average of 15.8C.
The NOAA says this makes July 2021 the hottest month since records began 142 years ago as it breaks the previous record set in 2016, which was then matched in 2019 and 2020.
NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said: "July is typically the world’s warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded. This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe."
It comes as forecasters ave predicted Europe could soon see 50C temperatures during summer after a record-breaking August.
This week, temperatures in Syracuse in Sicily, Italy, exceeded the previous record of the highest temperature seen in Europe with the mercury hitting 48.8°C.
The previous record of 48.0°C was set in Athens in 1977.
Professor Peter Stott, a climate expert for the Met Office said: “Climate change is making heat-related extremes of weather more intense and when we think about those record-breaking temperature the chance of breaking temperature records – or coming close to breaking records – is greatly increased."
Professor Stott, who has studied European heatwaves for almost 20 years, said Met Office analysis found higher temperatures were "five times more likely" because of climate change.
Professor Stott said in the blog: “The chances each summer of seeing really extreme temperatures are pretty high now.
"We can’t say exactly when it is likely to happen, but Europe will need to prepare for the eventuality of further records being broken with temperatures above 50.0°C being possible in Europe in future, most likely close to the Mediterranean where the influence of hot air from North Africa is strongest.”
