Publication Date July 2, 2019 | Earther

Last Month Was the Hottest June Ever Recorded, European Satellite Data Shows

United States
Photo: AP
Photo: AP

The planetary heat bender we’re on just hit a new milestone. Fueled by relentless heat in Europe to end the month, this June was the hottest June ever recorded, according to data analyzed by Europe’s space agency.

The planet was more than 1 degrees Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the pre-industrial average and Europe was an astounding 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer. The analysis comes courtesy of the European Union’s Copernicus Program, one of a number of agencies that maintain a record of the Earth’s worsening fever. Other groups compute the global average temperature as well using slightly different algorithms and analysis methods. Climate data nerds will now keep an eye on what NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration datasets reveal and if all parties agree that this June does indeed set a milestone globally.

Regardless, the spike is notable for a number of reasons. One is that June 2019 (tentatively) took the hottest June title from June 2016 a year. While it was a narrow upset of just 0.1 degrees Celsius, 2016 had a super El Niño helping to boost the global average temperature. This year, there’s also an El Niño but it’s weak and decaying into obscurity.