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The Earth is suffocating under extreme temperatures!

May 2024 will go down in history as the hottest May on record. Global temperatures have reached historic highs, marking the 12th consecutive month of record heat. The oceans were not spared, also breaking temperature records for the 14th month in a row.

A scorching month of May on a global scale

The global average temperature in May 2024 was 1.18ยฐC higher than the 20th century average of 14.8ยฐC. This heat record places May 2024 as the hottest May in the 175 years that temperature records have been taken by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.

Landmasses were particularly hard hit by this heatwave, with temperatures above average across most of the globe. Only a few regions were spared, including western North America, Greenland, southern South America, western Russia, and parts of eastern Antarctica. Africa, for its part, experienced the hottest month of May in its history.

Overheating oceans

The oceans were not to be outdone, recording record temperatures for the 14th consecutive month. This series of records began in April 2023 and does not seem ready to stop. Regionally, sea surface temperatures were above average over most areas, with record warm temperatures over the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Only parts of the South Pacific, Southeast Pacific and South Indian Ocean basins experienced below-average temperatures.

An alarming spring and start to the year

The period from March to May 2024, which corresponds to meteorological spring in the Northern Hemisphere and meteorological autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, was the warmest on record, with an average temperature 1.29ยฐC higher than the normal.

The start of 2024 (January to May) also broke heat records, with a global average temperature 1.32ยฐC higher than normal. Africa, Europe and South America each had their warmest period, while North America had the second warmest period.

According to NCEI's annual global temperature ranking forecasts, there are:

  • 50% chance 2024 will be hottest year on record
  • 100% chance it will rank among the top five warmest years
  • Other notable climatic events

    Global sea ice coverage was below average, with a total extent of 8.51 million square kilometers, 460,000 square kilometers less than the average for the period 1991-2020. The extent of Arctic sea ice was 60,000 square kilometers less than average, while that of Antarctic sea ice was 390,000 square kilometers less.

    Tropical activity was slightly above average, with five named storms worldwide in May, compared to an average of four for the period 1991-2020. Two of them reached tropical cyclone strength:

  • Tropical cyclone Hidaya in the South Indian Ocean basin, which brought strong winds and rain to the Tanzanian coast
  • Typhoon Ewiniar, which caused flooding and wind damage in the Philippines and Japan
  • Scientists are sounding the alarm in the face of these temperature records which follow one another month after month. The consequences of global warming are increasingly felt, endangering ecosystems, populations and economies around the world. There is an urgent need to act to limit the increase in temperatures and adapt to the changes already underway. Every fraction of a degree counts to avoid the most catastrophic scenarios. Decisions made today will shape the climate for decades and even centuries to come.

    Source: NOAA NCEI

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