The planet has just endured its joint-hottest month in 176 years of record-keeping, as searing July heat handed North America, Africa and Asia their warmest month ever.
"What we have seen in recent months is the combined effect of long-term warming with a persistent pattern of alternating high- and low-pressure systems extending across the northern hemisphere," explains John Kennedy of WMO.
6 days ago·Caracas, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Extreme heat, persistent drought and devastating forest fires have marked the summer in several countries of the Northern Hemisphere, while intense precipitation and floods cause deaths in other regions of the world. According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States, Noaa, July of this year equaled the record of the month [...]