Third-Hottest July on Record Wreaks Global Climate Havoc

Extreme weather batters countries despite slight dip in global temperatures

July Marks the End of a Record-Breaking Streak, But Climate Chaos Continues

The third-hottest July ever recorded has ended a run of unprecedented global heat, but its impacts were far from mild. From catastrophic floods to relentless wildfires, much of the world faced severe consequences of a warming planet, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reported on Thursday.

“While the streak of record-breaking temperatures has paused, climate change has not,” said Carlo Buontempo, Director of Copernicus. “We continue to witness the effects of a warming world.”

Global Temperature Overview

July’s average temperature was 1.25°C above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900) — slightly lower than in 2023 and 2024, both of which exceeded the 1.5°C threshold set by the Paris Agreement.
This seemingly small difference has had deadly consequences, fueling more intense heatwaves, storms, and flooding.

Extreme Weather Around the World

Deadly floods hit Pakistan and northern China after extreme rainfall.
Wildfires raged across Canada, Scotland, and Greece, worsened by drought conditions.
Several Asian and Nordic countries recorded record-high average July temperatures.
Temperatures exceeded 50°C in the Gulf, Iraq, and for the first time, Turkiye.
Spain recorded over 1,000 heat-related deaths in July.

11 countries, including China, Japan, North Korea, Bhutan, Brunei, Malaysia, and others, experienced their hottest July in over 50 years.

Oceans and Ice Under Pressure

July was the third-warmest month on record for sea surface temperatures.
Regional ocean heat records were broken in:
- The Norwegian Sea
- North Sea
- North Atlantic, west of France and the UK
Arctic sea ice extent was 10% below average, the second lowest July level in satellite record history (47 years).
In Antarctica, sea ice also hit the third-lowest extent ever recorded for July.

Loss of sea ice intensifies warming, as dark ocean waters absorb solar energy, unlike reflective snow and ice.

Mixed Global Patterns

While large swaths of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia saw extreme heat, temperatures were below average in:

North and South America
India
Parts of Australia, Africa, and Antarctica

Why the Heat Still Matters

The driving force behind warming is clear: the burning of fossil fuels — oil, coal, and gas — continues to raise CO₂ levels in the atmosphere.
90% of excess heat is absorbed by the oceans, intensifying storms and marine heatwaves.

“We must stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations rapidly,” Buontempo warned. “Otherwise, we should expect not only more records but worsening consequences.”

A Brief Reprieve – But For How Long?

According to Piers Forster, director of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures at the University of Leeds, this slight cooling reflects temporary natural influences, like:

The waning El Niño effect
Volcanic activity impacting global temperature patterns

“These natural variations are easing,” Forster said. “But the reprieve is only temporary. We can expect new high records to be broken again soon.”

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