Earth’s hottest August on record following record-breaking June, July

NEW YORK – Temperature records continue to topple. August 2023 was the planet’s warmest August in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) 174-year record, agency officials said on Thursday. The global surface temperature for the month was 16.8 deg C, which is 1.25 deg C above the 20th-century average of 15.6 deg C.

“We certainly are setting records that are significantly larger,” said Dr Karin Gleason, a climatologist at NOAA.

June and July 2023 were also the warmest on record globally, meaning that the Northern Hemisphere saw its warmest summer on record, and the Southern Hemisphere its warmest winter.

Global surface sea temperatures hit a record high for the fifth month in a row in August.

In the United States, August 2023 was the ninth-warmest on record. But Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi were especially hot, with all three states experiencing their warmest August ever.

Why it matters: Climate-related disasters come with huge costs

August saw the formation of 19 named storms across the globe, with eight reaching tropical cyclone strength. Six of these storms, including two hurricanes, happened in the Atlantic Ocean – more than usual for the region.

The United States has had 23 separate weather and climate disasters that cost more than US$1 billion (S$1.37 billion) each in damages so far in 2023, the most ever in one year, even adjusted for inflation. These include the Category 3 Hurricane Idalia in Florida and the wildfires in Hawaii in August. The Maui wildfires were exacerbated by winds from Hurricane Dora and are believed to have killed 97 people.

Southern California also had its first tropical storm watch during Hurricane Hilary in late August. Many areas there received more rain in 48 hours than they typically get in a year.

Background: Warmer temperatures fuel fewer but stronger storms

The effect of climate change on hurricanes is not straightforward. As wind patterns change, there may be slightly fewer tropical storms. But when storms do form, they will gather more energy from the hotter ocean and become stronger, sometimes over a single day or just a few hours. More hurricanes are likely to reach Category 3 or higher, as Hurricane Idalia did.

What’s next: Probably another record-breaking year

This year will almost certainly be either the warmest or second-warmest year on human record after 2016, NOAA scientists said. El Nino conditions, which release additional heat into the atmosphere and are associated with warmer years on average, are expected to last at least through the Northern Hemisphere winter.

“We expect the heat to continue for the rest of 2023,” Dr Gleason said. Depending on how long El Nino persists, on top of steady global warming from climate change, she cautioned it was “possible that 2024 could be even warmer than 2023”. NYTIMES