WASHINGTON, United States–World daily temperature records have been smashed this week, according to preliminary data.
The modeling tools that produced these estimates can provide an early warning of extreme heat events, even if they aren’t as precise as monthly and yearly reports produced by leading agencies, say experts.
The University of Maine has established an online tool called Climate Reanalyzer, which shows the curves of average global temperature for each day since 1979.
On Monday July 3, this curve reached a high of 17.01 degrees Celsius (62.62 degrees Fahrenheit). That record was surpassed on Tuesday with 17.18C (62.92F) and again on Thursday with 17.23C (63.01F).
Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, which has a similar tool, later confirmed the records of Monday, then Tuesday, albeit with slightly different figures — 16.88C (62.38F) and 17.03 (62.65F), respectively.
The estimates are produced through a combination of actual temperature measurements—from ground stations, satellites, and more—with computer modeling.
