On July 21, the world experienced its hottest day ever recorded, according to preliminary data released Tuesday by the EU's climate monitor.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported that the global average surface air temperature reached 17.09 degrees Celsius (62.7 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday, setting a new record in their archives, which date back to 1940.

The announcement comes amid severe heatwaves and wildfires wreaking havoc across Europe and the United States. "The Earth has just experienced its warmest day," the monitor stated.

The new high surpasses the previous record temperature of 17.08 degrees Celsius recorded on July 6, 2023, by a margin of 0.01 degrees. Carlo Buontempo, the director of C3S, noted, "On July 21st, C3S recorded a new record for the daily global mean temperature. We are now in truly uncharted territory and as the climate keeps warming, we are bound to see new records being broken in future months and years."

Buontempo emphasized that while the increase above the previous record was minimal, the continuous pattern of unprecedented global heat observed over the past 13 months was "truly staggering." Since June 2023, each month has broken its own temperature record compared to the same month in previous years.

Given the current context and the peak of the northern hemisphere summer, Copernicus mentioned that it was "not completely unexpected" that this new daily high would be surpassed. The monitor indicated that this record could be overtaken by the extreme heat experienced earlier this week, highlighting a sequence of record-breaking days in July and August 2023.

Although global temperatures are anticipated to peak and then decline, further fluctuations are expected in the coming weeks, Copernicus added.

Heat and fire

Climate change is driving longer, more intense, and more frequent extreme weather events such as heatwaves and floods. This year has witnessed major disasters across the globe. Deadly heatwaves have struck North America, Mexico, India, and Thailand, while flooding has devastated parts of East Africa, China, and Brazil.

Wildfires are raging across southern and eastern Europe, as well as Canada and the United States, with prolonged high temperatures creating tinder-dry conditions.

The primary cause of global warming is the burning of fossil fuels, but emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases continue to rise despite international efforts to transition to clean energy and slow down temperature increases.