Earth had the hottest three-month period from June 2023 to August 2023, and witnessed this year the hottest August on record, according to Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) funded by the European Union. August 2023 is also the second hottest month ever, after July 2023, a statement released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said, citing C3S data. The C3S climate bulletin for August 2023, released on September 5, 2023, said that the boreal summer 2023, which refers to the Northern Hemisphere summer, is the warmest boreal summer on record since 1940.
Also, the year 2023 is the second warmest year on record so far (January to August), and just 0.01 degrees Celsius behind 2016. Both 2016 and 2023 have been El Niño years.
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Temperature and rainfall conditions in June-July-August season in 2023
The June-July-August (JJA) season this year had an average temperature of 16.77 degrees Celsius, which is 0.66 degrees Celsius above the average temperature for this three-month period, according to C3S.
In JJA 2023, most of western Europe and Türkiye saw above-average precipitation. Some regions of western Europe and Türkiye witnessed record-breaking rainfall, which led to flooding in some cases. Parts of Asia, Chile and Brazil, northwestern Australia, and western and northeastern North America also witnessed above-average precipitation.
Meanwhile, large parts of Asia, Canada, southern North America, most of South America, and Iceland, northern Scandinavia, and central Europe experienced drier-than-average conditions. Due to these dry conditions, wildfires occurred in some regions.
Global sea surface temperatures have been extremely high in the JJA season for 2023.
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Heatwave conditions in August 2023
August 2023 was around 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the pre-industrial average temperature during 1850 to 1900, the C3S has estimated.
In August 2023, the global mean surface air temperature was 0.71 degrees Celsius warmer than the 1991-2030 average for August. Also, August 2023 was 0.31 degrees Celsius warmer than the previous warmest August in 2016.
August 2023 saw heatwaves in several regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including southern Europe, Japan, and the southern United States, and well-above average temperatures over Australia, much of Antarctica, and several South American countries.
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Marine heatwave conditions in August 2023
In several other regions, marine air temperatures were well above average.
Antarctic sea ice levels are at record low levels for this time of the year. The North Atlantic Ocean and the global ocean saw high sea surface temperature anomalies.
In summer 2023, there were marine heat waves in several regions around Europe.
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In August 2023, the global monthly average sea surface temperature, which was 20.98 degrees Celsius, was the highest on record across all months. Every single day in August, the global sea surface temperatures exceeded the previous record, which was set in March 2016.
The average sea surface temperature anomaly was 0.55 degrees Celsius for August 2023, compared to that in the same month in previous years.
The previous highest daily sea surface temperature record was set in September 2022. The value was 24.81 degrees Celsius. On August 5, 2023, this record was broken. Almost every day in August 2023, the sea surface temperature remained above 24.81 degrees Celsius. On August 31, the temperature reached 25.91 degrees Celsius.
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Sea ice levels in August 2023
The Antarctic sea ice extent in August 2023 was 12 per cent below average. This is the largest negative anomaly for August since the late 1970s. While the Arctic sea ice extent was above the record minimum of August 2012, it was 10 per cent below average.
Rainfall conditions in August 2023
A large part of central Europe and Scandinavia experienced wetter-than-average conditions in August 2023. Heavy rainfall occurred in these regions, often leading to flooding. A longitudinal band in Eastern Europe also experienced a wetter-than-average August.
In August 2023, regions above the Iberian Peninsula, places in Eastern Europe, and southern France experienced drier-than-average conditions. Due to these conditions, wildfires occurred in France, Italy, Greece and Portugal.
Northeast and western North America experienced wetter-than-average conditions in August this year. Since Hurricane Hilary struck California and western Mexico, floods occurred in these regions. Large regions of Asia saw wetter-than-average conditions. Tajikistan, and parts of Chile and Brazil experienced landslides due to rainfall.
In two longitudinal bands across Asia, much of South America, and southern United States and Northern Mexico, there were drier-than-average conditions.
What experts say about extreme climatic conditions
In a statement released by C3S, Samantha Burgess, the deputy director of the European Union service, said the world will continue to see more climate records and more intense and frequent extreme weather events impacting society and ecosystems, until people stop emitting greenhouse gases.
In a WMO statement, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said that Earth has endured the hottest summer on record, and that climate breakdown has begun. He explained that scientists have long warned that fossil fuel addiction will unleash, and that surging temperatures demand a surge in action. He concluded that the world can still avoid the worst of climate chaos, and people don't have a moment to lose.
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WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said that the Northern Hemisphere had a summer of extremes, with repeated heat waves causing devastating wildfires, disrupting daily lives, and harming health. He also said that in the Southern Hemisphere, the Antarctic sea ice extent was extremely low, and the global sea surface temperature attained a new record.
Taalas emphasised that this is happening before the world sees the full warming impact of the El Niño event, which usually plays out in the second year after it develops.
Carlo Buontempo, Director of the C3S, said that the new extremes, the persistence of record-breaking conditions, and the impacts these have on both the people and the planet, are a consequence of the warming of the climate system.
Extreme climate conditions expected in the near future
There is a 98 per cent likelihood that at least one of the next five years will be the warmest on record, and there is also a 66 per cent chance that the global average temperature will be over 1.5 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 average for at least one of these five years, according to a report released by the WMO and the UK Met Office in May 2023.
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