The Earth Has Experienced its Hottest Day on Record as Scientists Warn of ‘Catastrophic’ Consequences

Sunday, July 21, was the hottest day in the recorded history of the Earth , with scientists expressing concerns that global temperatures may rise even further in the upcoming years.

Knewz.com has learned that July 21 reached a temperature of 62.76 degrees Fahrenheit, the hottest day on record since around 1940.

The summer of 2024 saw several countries experience unbearable heat waves and unusually high temperatures fueled by climate change.

It was reported that hundreds of cities in the United States experienced their hottest summer this year.

Texas , Las Vegas, and Phoenix reached triple-digit temperatures this summer, with temperatures reaching 112 degrees and 103 degrees respectively in the cities of Del Rio and McAllen.

The National Weather Service of Las Vegas wrote in a July 13 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the city experienced record-breaking temperatures for seven days in a row.

“With a high temperature of 115°F this afternoon we not only extended our streak to 7 days, but we also broke the daily record high. This makes today the 7th day IN A ROW that we have broken or tied daily high temps!” the post read.

It was reported that Las Vegas recorded an all-time high temperature of 120 degrees on July 7. Furthermore, the city also saw three consecutive days with temperatures crossing 118 degrees.

Globally, July 21 became the hottest day on Earth on record, based on the preliminary data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service in the European Union.

While the Copernicus Service used temperature records starting from the mid-20th Century, scientists have found that the recorded period is the hottest one the planet has seen in around 100,000 years.

The summer of 2024 broke the record for the hottest day on Earth held by 2023 by 0.01 degree Celsius, establishing a concerning fact that the planet experienced its hottest days in two consecutive years.

While the record-high temperatures of 2023 have been attributed to the El Niño climate pattern in the Pacific, as well as fossil fuel pollution, 2024’s high temperatures were recorded at a time when El Niño was transitioning to its cool La Niña phase.

This observation has further emphasized the human-driven causes of climate change and global warming.

Copernicus scientists have pointed out that prior to 2023, the warmest global temperatures were lower by around 0.3 degrees Celsius.

Carlo Buontempo, the director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, called the recent temperature records “truly staggering” and warned that the planet’s climate has entered “truly uncharted territory.”

“We are now in truly uncharted territory and as the climate keeps warming, we are bound to see new records being broken in future months and years,” the Copernicus director was quoted as saying.

It is worth noting that February 2024 became the ninth consecutive globally warmest month , showing a concerning trend in the global climate.

Data from Copernicus showed that the daily global average temperature during the first two weeks of the month “reached 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average on four consecutive days, from February 8 to 11.”

It was reported at the time that the world’s oceans, which are responsible for absorbing 90% of the Earth’s heat, also saw record-high temperatures of 69.9 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to the recent analysis by the climate change service, this extreme hike in global temperatures is linked to “abnormal heat” across large areas in Antarctica.

The phenomenon has further concerned scientists since the rapid warming of the continent will result in a “catastrophic” rise in sea levels, per reports .