Nov. 8-9, 2023 — The world is failing to keep temperatures from rising 1.5C above pre-industrial times. The world was at its hottest in recorded history in the 12 months through October (see below).

Surface air temperature for October 2023

Copernicus, Unedited:

October 2023 was the warmest October on record globally, with an average surface air temperature of 15.30°C, 0.85°C above the 1991-2020 average for October and 0.40°C above the temperature of the previous warmest October, in 2019. The global temperature anomaly for October 2023 was the second highest across all months in the ERA5 dataset, behind September 2023. The month as a whole was 1.7°C warmer than an estimate of the October average for 1850-1900, the designated pre-industrial reference period.

For the calendar year to date, January to October, the global mean temperature for 2023 is the highest on record, 1.43°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average, and 0.10°C higher than the ten-month average for 2016, currently the warmest calendar year on record. For Europe, October 2023 was the fourth warmest October on record, 1.30°C higher than the 1991-2020 average. The average sea surface temperature for October over 60°S–60°N was 20.79°C, the highest on record for October. El Niño conditions continued to develop in the equatorial Pacific, although anomalies remain lower than those reached at this time of year during the development of the historically strong 1997 and 2015 events.

NEWS FROM CLIMATE CENTRALTransmitted by PR Newswire for Journalists on November 09, 2023 06:01 AM EST

October 2023 capped the hottest 12-month span in recorded history

Attribution study identifies countries, cities where climate change most influenced temperatures as global warming surpassed 1.3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels

PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 9, 2023 /CNW/ — Global temperatures set a new 12-month record, exceeding 1.3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels from November 2022 through October 2023, according to a new analysis of international data released today by Climate Central. This marks the hottest year-long period in recorded history.In 170 countries, mean temperatures over the span exceeded 30-year norms, exposing 7.8 billion people — 99% of humanity — to above-average warmth. Only Iceland and Lesotho recorded cooler-than-normal temperatures.Weather attribution analysis reveals that during the span, 5.7 billion people were exposed to at least 30 days of above-average temperatures made at least three times more likely by the influence of climate change, or level-three on Climate Central’s Climate Shift Index. That exposure included nearly every resident of Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Italy, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico, and every Caribbean and Central American nation. In India, 1.2 billion residents — 86% of the population — experienced Climate Shift Index level-three temperatures on 30 or more days. In China that figure was 513 million residents — 35% of the population; and in the United States, 88 million — 26% of the population – experienced at least 30 days of temperatures made at least three times more likely by climate change. During this span more than 500 million people in 200 cities experienced streaks of extreme heat, with at least five days of daily temperatures in the 99th percentile compared to 30-year norms. No major city on Earth matched Houston’s 22 consecutive days of extreme heat between July 31 and August 21. New Orleans and two Indonesian cities — Jakarta and Tangerang — followed with 17 straight days of extreme heat. Austin (16 days), San Antonio (15 days), and Dallas (14 days) were also among the cities with the longest extreme heat streaks. In each of these cities, on every day of these streaks, the Climate Shift Index reached the maximum level-five, indicating that climate change made this extreme heat at least five times more likely.” This 12-month record is exactly what we expect from a global climate fueled by carbon pollution,” Dr. Andrew Pershing, vice president for science at Climate Central said. “Records will continue to fall next year, especially as the growing El Niño begins to take hold, exposing billions to unusual heat. While climate impacts are most acute in developing countries near the equator, seeing climate-fueled streaks of extreme heat in the U.S., India, Japan, and Europe underscores that no one is safe from climate change.” A summary of the analysis, with complete source data and localized graphics from Climate Central’s Climate Matters program is available at: https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/earths-hottest-12-month-streak-2023 Contact: Peter Girard, Vice President of Communications, Climate Central: pgirard@climatecentral.org or +1-609-986-1999 About Climate Central Climate Central is a non-advocacy, non-profit science and news organization providing authoritative information to help the public and policymakers make sound decisions about climate and energy. SOURCE Climate Central VIEW IN BROWSER