July was the hottest month on earth: EU scientists

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BRUSSELS, Aug 5 - Last month was one of the world's hottest Julys in the history, behind only 2019 and 2016 with unusually hot temperatures seen in regions from Finland to the United States, EU scientists said on Thursday.

When we look at global temperatures, there are swings from year to year or even month to month, Freja Vamborg, senior scientist at Copernicus Climate Change Service in the European Union, told Reuters.

After all, the thing we see is a global warming trend, and in most of the countries on earth.

What month was the third hottest summer in the world following July 2020, behind July 2019 and July 2016, Copernicus said. Copernicus' records trace back to 1950, but are cross checked with other datasets that trace back to the mid 19th century.

Multiple regions were beset by extreme weather events last month - in line with scientists' consensus that global warming is making heatwaves more severe and more likely, and that a hotter planet will lead to heavier rainfall.

Record-breaking heat in the United States and Canada, which began in June, killed hundreds of people and fanned wildfires. Extreme rainfall caused deadly floods in China, Belgium and Germany.

The Northern Africa-Australian region recorded its highest daily maximum temperature in last month, while temperatures over northwestern Australia were almost every day higher than normal, Copernicus said.

Some regions were slightly colder than average, including Russia and parts of Germany.

Ralf Toumi, co-director of the Grantham Institute in Imperial College London on climate change said that recent bursts of record-breaking heat are no surprise, given the long-term pattern of rising temperatures.

This is a constant casino, played at and then we pick up the high numbers again and again, he said.