DENVER — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed on Friday that July 2021 was the hottest month in earth's recorded history, continuing summer of increasingly alarming signs of climate change.
With an average global temperature of 62.07 degrees Fahrenheit, July 2021 finished 1.67 degrees above the 20th-century average July temperature of 60.4 degrees.
The big discrepancy came in Asia, where July 2021 finished as the continent's hottest month on record. The Northern Hemisphere as a whole finished nearly 2.8 degrees Fahrenheit above average, including a top-10 hottest July on record in North America.
Global temperature readings are based on a combination of land and sea measurements. NOAA monthly temperature records date back 142 years.
NOAA administrator Dr. Rick Spinrad said in a statement on Friday that this was a clear result of climate change.
“In this case, first place is the worst place to be,” said NOAA Administrator Dr. Spinrad. “July is typically the world’s warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded. This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe.”
This follows a striking United Nations-led Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released on Monday, called climate change "code red for humanity" and said drastic action needed to be taken to avoid climate change's worst impacts.
Meanwhile, climate change could lead to increased drought in western parts of Colorado, hotter summers and decreased winter snowfall.