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No surprise if you’ve been paying attention: 2023 was the hottest year on record

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Global temp anomolies in F
2023 has replaced 2016 as the warmest calendar year on record, according to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

Global temperatures set new records in calendar 2023, according to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMRWF). Calendar 2023 was the warmest since 1850.

In addition:

  • From June to December, each month was warmer than its corresponding month since 1850.
  • July and August were the warmest two months on record.
  • For the first time, every day in 2023 was more than 1.8ºF / 1ºC above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average for that day.

 

This is a different view of the same data, using C rather than F.

Global temperature anomalies
Monthly global surface air temperature [1] anomalies (°C) relative to 1991–2020 from January 1940 to December 2023, plotted as time series for each year. 2023 is shown with a thick red line while other years are shown with thin lines and shaded according to the decade, from blue (1940s) to brick red (2020s). Data source: ERA5. Credit: C3S/ECMWF.

 

Last year, we also experienced a record number of days that were 1.5ºC above the pre-industrial average. Moreover, as this chart shows, two days were more than 2°C warmer than 1850-1900. This is the first time daily temperature was more than 2°C hotter.

global temperature anonomolies
The number of days during which the temperature exceeded the average for 1850-1900, the designated pre-industrial reference period, by more than 1°C, from the years 1990 to 2023. The plot highlights temperature increases within three ranges: 1–1.25°C (orange), 1.25–1.5°C (red), and 1.5°C or more (crimson). Source: ERA5. Credit: C3S/ECMWF

This BBC chart illustrates the magnitude of 2023’s record-breaking streak. BBC chart with daily records by year
.

“2023 was an exceptional year, with climate records tumbling like dominoes,” concludes Dr Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

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