So, 2024 had the hottest summer ever recorded, officially, that is. And guess what? It was the second time in a row we broke this unfortunate record. The heat between June and August wasn’t just a little warmer—it was the hottest period since global records began in 1940, according to new data from Copernicus, Europe’s climate change service.
How hot was it? This summer was 0.69 degrees Celsius warmer than the average from 1991 to 2020. It even beat last summer’s record by 0.03 degrees. And unfortunately, scientists warn, this won’t be the last of the records to fall.
A Planet Feeling the Heat
If you were feeling like you were melting this summer, you weren’t alone. The scorching temperatures wreaked havoc around the world. Deadly heat waves? Check. Wildfires out of control? Absolutely. Storms? You bet.
Every corner of the planet seemed to be dealing with a crisis caused by rising temperatures.
Even places that were in winter, like Australia, were hit hard. In August, Australia broke its own record for the hottest August day, with temperatures reaching a blistering 41.6°C (that’s 106.9°F).
Meanwhile, Antarctica—yes, the icy, frozen continent—saw temperatures climb 50°F above normal in July.
It was a season of extremes, and they were everywhere.
August Tied the Hottest Month Record
August capped off the record-breaking summer, tying for the hottest August ever recorded. The average global temperature was 16.82°C (62.28°F)—a full 1.51°C warmer than the pre-industrial average.
When you stack it all up, the past 12 months (from September 2023 to August 2024) were the hottest ever recorded, 1.64°C higher than those pre-industrial levels.
Samantha Burgess, Copernicus’ deputy director, summed it up best: “This string of record temperatures is making it more and more likely that 2024 will go down as the hottest year in recorded history.” And that’s not something anyone was hoping for.
What’s Causing All the Heat?
So, what’s causing all this? Well, it’s a combination of natural patterns like El Niño (which tends to warm the planet) and the not-so-natural human impact—mainly burning fossil fuels that pump out planet-heating pollution.
While the latest El Niño event technically ended in June, its effects still linger.
But, as Richard Allan, a climate science professor at the University of Reading, said, human activity is doing most of the damage. “The continued heating by greenhouse gases from human activities is the main culprit.”
The fact that we breached the 1.5°C threshold above pre-industrial levels, even if temporarily, is deeply worrying.
Scientists have warned for years that we need to limit warming to 1.5°C to avoid catastrophic climate impacts. While we’re not seeing long-term breaches yet, these temporary spikes are a big flashing red light about where we’re headed.
The Bottom Line
The crazy thing is, this could get even worse. If we don’t take serious action to cut emissions, the extreme weather we’ve been living through this summer will just be the beginning. Burgess warned that without reducing greenhouse gases, the intense heat and destruction we’ve witnessed will only get more frequent and more devastating.
In simple terms? This summer is a wake-up call. If we don’t start acting now to tackle the climate crisis, record-breaking summers might just become the new normal—and that’s a future none of us want to experience.
So, what do we do now? Every little bit helps—whether it’s switching to renewable energy, cutting down on waste, or just speaking up and demanding change from governments and corporations. The heat is on, and it’s up to us to turn it down.
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