WMO says July may have been hottest month on record

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Wednesday said July may have been the hottest month ever recorded, after initial estimates suggested it did not surpass the record set in July 2023.

After the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service differed on whether July reached a new record, the WMO said the differences were "within the statistical margin of error used to calculate global temperatures."

The WMO said the data once again proved "that greenhouse gases from human activities are changing our climate."

"Widespread, intense and extended heatwaves have hit every continent in the past year. At least 10 countries have recorded daily temperatures of more than 50°C in more than one location. This is becoming too hot to handle,” said WMO Secretary General Celeste Saulo.

July saw the hottest day ever recorded globally, Copernicus found.

And according to the WMO, another record may have been reached in California's Death Valley, where the average monthly temperature was 42.5 degrees Celsius.

Saulo emphasized that better early warning systems and action plans for heat protection are now needed.

From 2000 to 2019, around half a million people died from heat each year.

The WMO and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that almost 100,000 lives could be saved each year in 57 countries simply by issuing heat warnings.