Warmest June-August period on record globally
The June through August 2024 three-month period (meteorological summer in the Northern Hemisphere) was the warmest on record globally for land/ocean surface combined, according to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Science (NASA GISS). Record keeping goes as far back as 1880.
The June-August 2024 period averaged 1.25 degrees Celsius above the 1951-1980 mean, which now surpasses the previous record of +1.15 degrees Celsius which was set last year.
In addition, August 2024 was the warmest August on record globally, averaging 1.30 degrees Celsius above the 1951-1980 mean. The previous record was +1.19 degrees Celsius, which was also set in 2023.
Looking at this year so far, the globe is currently on pace to set another new annual record high average temperature, and it may not even be close. Currently, the warmest year on record according to NASA GISS was 2023, with an average temperature departure of +1.17 degrees Celsius. Through eight months of 2024, the globe is currently averaging 1.29 degrees Celsius above the 1951-1980 mean. Even if the typical cooling influence of La Niña develops this fall or winter, it is still almost a certainty that 2024 will surpass 2023 as the warmest year on record, which is not really a surprise with the strong influence of climate change and the fact that we are coming off a moderate to strong El Niño.
Long-term trends are very sobering
The longer-term global temperature anomalies listed by each decade show a significant warming trend, especially since the 1980s. There was a period of slight cooling from the 1950s to the middle 1970s, which may have been partially due to the significant increase in global pollution, which has a cooling influence due to more of the sun's energy being reflected into space by the increased amount of particulate matter in the atmosphere. However, following the Clean Air Act, air pollution levels began to diminish in many developed countries, which was very good, but it also all allowed more of the sun's energy to reach the surface and enhance warming.
Observed, average global land/ocean surface temperature anomalies by month going back to 1900. The significant warming is undeniable.
