Hottest

Summer 2023 was the hottest ever, scientists say

‘Global temperature records continue to tumble in 2023,’ Copernicus official reports.

BY FEDERICA DI SARIO

This summer was the hottest on record “by a large margin,” the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Wednesday, with a global average temperature of 16.77 degrees Celsius, which is 0.66C above the 1991-2020 average.

"Global temperature records continue to tumble in 2023, with the warmest August following on from the warmest July and June leading to the warmest boreal summer in our data record going back to 1940,” said Samantha Burgess, the service's deputy director. 

In Europe, average summer temperatures were 19.63C, which is 0.83C above average.

That led to a record increase of sea surface temperatures, responsible for triggering marine heat waves all over Europe, including in Ireland and the U.K. in June, and in the Mediterranean region in July and August.

Global sea surface temperatures kept rising throughout August, reaching 20.98C, the highest global monthly average on record, Copernicus said. Ocean warming is expected to get worse as El Niño develops in the Pacific Ocean over the rest of the year.

“The scientific evidence is overwhelming — we will continue to see more climate records and more intense and frequent extreme weather events impacting society and ecosystems, until we stop emitting greenhouse gases,” Burgess said.