The European Union’s climate monitoring agency, the Copernicus Climate Change Service, released a bulletin on the 10th showing that this July, the global sea surface temperature hit the highest level ever recorded for this time of year.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the bulletin states that data show the average sea surface temperature in extratropical ocean areas between 60 degrees north and south latitude reached 20.96°C in July, surpassing the previous record of 20.89°C set in July 2023. Sea temperatures in extensive parts of the tropical Pacific are abnormally high, with El Niño conditions developing in the region and expected to further intensify in the coming months.
Global average surface air temperature in July: 16.9°C
The bulletin stated that worldwide, this July ties with July 2024 as the second hottest July on record, second only to 2023. The global average surface air temperature in July was 16.9°C, which is 1.47°C higher than the pre-industrial average (1850–1900).
Average temperatures in Western Europe for June to July this year set the highest on record for the period. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service data, the average temperature for these two months in Western Europe reached 21.62°C, which is 2.79°C higher than the average for the same period from 1991 to 2020, and surpasses the previous record set in 2022.
The bulletin stated that drought continued to affect Western and Central Europe in July and further intensified. France, Spain, as well as parts of Germany and the UK, all experienced abnormally low rainfall or soil moisture. River flows in many parts of Europe are significantly below average, notably in the Seine, Rhine, and Danube, putting pressure on water supply, agricultural irrigation, inland waterway shipping, ecosystems, and energy production in several countries.