NASA Confirms July 2023 is Warmest Month on Record

  • Released Monday, August 14, 2023
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July 2023 was hotter than any other month in the global temperature record, according to an analysis by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). Earth in July 2023 was 1.18ºC (2.12ºF) warmer than the average for the month, and warmer than any other month in the 143-year record.

"We know that this is having impacts, said NASA Climate Scientist and GISS Director Gavin Schmidt. “We know that it is inducing heat waves. We know that it is leading to more intense rainfall, we're seeing that in many places in the world. And we know it's a contributing factor to the growth of wildfires in areas that have been affected by the temperatures."

The warmer-than-usual July continues a long-term trend of warming, driven primarily by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. July 2023 was 0.24°C (0.43°F) warmer than any previous July in NASA’s record. And according to GISS temperature anomaly data, the top-five hottest Julys since 1880 have all happened in the past five years. Read more here.

Data supporting this temperature analysis comes from tens of thousands of meteorological stations, along with instruments on ships and buoys.

For more video resources on climate change, visit the Climate Essentials animation gallery.


To learn more about NASA's contribution to understanding Earth's climate, visit NASA's Global Climate Change site.

Interview with GISS Director Dr. Gavin Schmidt.

Monthly temperature anomalies from 1880 to July 2023 measured with respect to a the baseline period 1951-1980. This graph includes the seasonal cycle (from MERRA2) showing that July 2023 was the warmest month on record. Temperatures measured in Celsius, a Fahrenheit version of this graph is also available.

Climate Spiral showing monthly temperature anomalies 1880 through July 2023 (over the baseline period 1951-1980). This version is in Celsius, a version in Fahrenheit is also available.

Global July Temperature Anomaly (Degrees C compared to the 1951-1980 average.)

Global July Temperature Anomaly (Degrees C compared to the 1951-1980 average.)

A reel of NASA data visualizations on temperature data, including: Climate Spiral showing monthly temperature anomalies, bar graph showing global July temperature anomalies, July 2023 temperature anomaly global map, Global Temperature Anomalies 1880 to 2022, 20 Years of AIRS CO2 data, Zonal Climate Anomalies, and The Oceanic Niño Index

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

This page was originally published on Monday, August 14, 2023.
This page was last updated on Monday, August 14, 2023 at 1:27 PM EDT.