July 2023 Record High Global Temperatures

July 2023 set a record for the warmest month on record (since 1880). July 2023 was 0.24 degrees Celsius (0.43 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the previous record. The globally averaged temperature in July 2023 was 1.18 degrees Celsius (2.12 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the average July temperature (as compared to the baseline period 1951-1980). July is also, on average, the warmest month of the year (based on MERRA-2 realalysis data here). The combination of these factors led to July 2023 setting the mark as the warmest month since 1880.

Two graphics are provided here. One plots monthly temperature anomalies with the seasonal cycle included, while the climate spiral graphic plots monthly temperature anomalies without the seasonal cycle.

Temperature anomalies are deviations from a long term global average. In this case the period 1951-1980 is used to define the baseline for the anomaly. These temperature anomalies are based on the GISS Surface Temperature Analysis (GISTEMP v4), an estimate of global surface temperature change. The data file used to create this visualization is publicly accessible here.

The Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) is a NASA laboratory managed by the Earth Sciences Division of the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The laboratory is affiliated with Columbia University’s Earth Institute and School of Engineering and Applied Science in New York.

The term 'climate spiral' describes an animated radial plot of global temperatures. Climate scientist Ed Hawkins from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Reading popularized this style of visualization in 2016.