September Breaks Record for Hottest Global Temperature, Follows Warmest Summer

The summer contained some of the hottest days recorded worldwide, and this fall has so far featured temperatures that are even more abnormal. According to data by the Japan Meteorological Agency obtained by The Washington Post, the global average temperature surpassed the September record by 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit. Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist for Stripe, called the measurements “absolutely gobsmackingly bananas.” Researchers claim that the severe heat is the result of human-driven climate change due to actions such as burning fossil fuels and El Niño, a warming climate trend that is believed to reach its maximum in the winter. Studies show that the world is significantly hotter than the previous major El Niño in 2015 and 2016, giving rise to extreme weather phenomena like the floods in Libya caused by Storm Daniel last month. According to Axios, El Niño’s effects work on a delay, so 2024 may be even warmer.