July 22, 2024, has been identified as the hottest day ever recorded, according to NASA’s analysis of global daily temperature data. This scorching day was part of a series, with July 21 and 23 also surpassing previous daily records set in July 2023. These unprecedented temperatures are indicative of a prolonged warming trend attributed mainly to human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson commented on the recent extreme heat, stating, “In a year that has been the hottest on record to date, these past two weeks have been particularly brutal. Through our over two dozen Earth-observing satellites and over 60 years of data, NASA is providing critical analyses of how our planet is changing and how local communities can prepare, adapt, and stay safe. We are proud to be part of the Biden-Harris Administration efforts to protect communities from extreme heat.”
This preliminary finding is derived from the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2), and the Goddard Earth Observing System Forward Processing (GEOS-FP) systems. These systems integrate millions of global observations from land, sea, air, and satellite instruments using advanced atmospheric models.
GEOS-FP offers near-real-time weather data, whereas MERRA-2 provides a more detailed climate reanalysis, ensuring the highest quality observations. These models are managed by NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The MERRA-2 daily global average temperature values for 1980-2022 are depicted in white, 2023 values in pink, and values from January to June 2024 in red. The GEOS-FP data from July 1 to 23, 2024, are shown in purple. These findings align with an independent analysis from the European Union’s Copernicus Earth Observation Programme. While there are minor differences between the analyses, they both indicate significant temperature increases over time.
NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York reports that the recent daily temperature records follow 13 consecutive months of record-breaking monthly temperatures. Their analysis, based on the GISTEMP record, uses surface instrumental data to offer a long-term perspective on global temperature changes, dating back to the late 19th century.
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