Monday was the world’s hottest day yet on record after exceeding the average of 17 °C for the first time, according to initial measurements taken by US meteorologists on Tuesday.
An average daily air temperature of 17.01 °C was recorded on the earth’s surface on Monday. The measurement surpasses the previous daily record of 16.92 °C on July 24 last year.
Scientists say this reading was the highest on record with records dating back to the end of the 19th century.
Monday’s heat is due to a combination of the El Niño weather phenomenon and the continuous release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Researchers believe there will be more records in the coming months as El Niño strengthens, reports BBC.
The world’s average air temperature varies between 12 °C and just under 17 °C on any given day of the year. However, the average global temperature typically continues to rise until late July or early August.
The experts say that the world’s temperatures will probably rise even higher than the historical averages over the next year with the onset of an El Niño weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean.
In addition, human activities – primarily the burning of fossil fuels – continue to release approximately 40 billion tonnes of CO² into the atmosphere each year.
