Although July 2024 was slightly cooler than July 2023, it is becoming "increasingly likely" that 2024 will set the record as the hottest year ever, according to a report from Copernicus, the

European Climate Change Observatory, on Thursday.

The streak of 13 consecutive months of record-breaking surface temperatures "has come to an end, but only by a hair's breadth," stated Samantha Burgess, deputy head of the Climate Change Service at Copernicus.

Last month saw extreme heatwaves in Greece and Japan, with temperatures soaring to 48°C in Morocco, leading to 21 deaths within 24 hours. The global average surface temperature for July 2024 was recorded at 16.91°C, just 0.04°C lower than the previous record set in July 2023, as reported in the Copernicus Monthly Bulletin.

The intense heat was particularly notable in regions such as the western US and Canada, much of Africa, the Middle East, Asia, East Antarctica, and Europe, which experienced its second-hottest July, trailing only July 2010.

Rising Night-Time Temperatures

The past month was 1.48°C warmer than an average July during the pre-industrial period (1850-1900), before significant human-induced greenhouse gas emissions began. While this is slightly below the symbolic 1.5°C threshold, which has been surpassed every month for the past year, July 2024 remains the second hottest month on record for any season, according to Copernicus.

Climate change is also driving an increase in the number of nights where temperatures do not drop below 25°C, according to a study by Climate Central, an independent group of scientists and climate communication experts.

High night-time temperatures pose health risks, as they prevent the human body from cooling down and recovering from the day's heat. Photo by Bernt Rostad, Wikimedia commons.