NASA Scientist Predicts July to be Hottest Month on Record
According to renowned NASA climatologist Gavin Schmidt, July 2023 is likely to be the hottest month the world has experienced in centuries, if not millennia.
This month, daily records have already been broken using tools from the European Union and the University of Maine that combine ground and satellite data into models to create preliminary estimates.
Although they differ slightly, the trend of extreme heat is unmistakable and is likely to be reflected in stronger monthly reports later released by US agencies, Schmidt told reporters at a NASA briefing.
“We’re seeing unprecedented changes all over the world – the heat waves we’re seeing in the US, Europe and China are breaking records, left, right and centre,” he added.
Furthermore, the effects cannot be explained solely by the El Nino weather pattern, which “has really only just appeared.”
Although El Nino plays a small role, “we’re seeing general warmth almost everywhere, especially in the oceans. We’ve seen record sea surface temperatures, even outside the tropics, for several months now.
“And we expect that to continue, and the reason we think it will continue is because we continue to put greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.”
Currently, events are increasing the likelihood that 2023 will be the hottest year on record, which Schmidt currently gave a “50-50 chance” based on his calculations, though he said other scientists put it as high as 80 percent.
“But we expect 2024 to be even warmer because we’re going to start with an El Nino event that’s building now and peaking at the end of this year.”
Schmidt’s warnings come as the world has been hit by fires and dire health warnings, in addition to temperature records broken over the past week.
