Are we getting used to the record heat? It would seem so, given that September 2024 placed second in the ranking of the warmest Septembers ever.
The past month has put Europe and the entire world faced with a new, dramatic reality: not only has it proved particularly hot, but it has brought with it an escalation of extreme weather events.
From torrential rains that have inundated large areas of Europe (including Italy), to fires that have devastated entire regions, atmospheric and thermal anomalies are becoming the new normal. According to data from Copernicus Climate Change Serviceglobal average temperatures exceeded the 1991-2020 average by 0.73°C, marking an increase of 1.54°C compared to pre-industrial levels.
The race towards a hot future
As heat records pile up, the year 2024 risks becoming the hottest in history.
In the first nine months, the global average temperature was 0.71°C above the 1991-2020 average. The period from October 2023 to September 2024 showed an overall increase of 0.74°C compared to the same time reference, bringing the anomaly compared to the pre-industrial era to + 1.62°C. What is most impressive is the persistence of this trend: in the last 15 months, 14 of these saw temperatures exceed the critical threshold of 1.5°Ca threshold that many experts consider a limit beyond which the impacts of climate change become increasingly difficult to manage.
Extreme rainfall and record temperatures in Europe
The record heat was accompanied by a succession of extreme rainfall. There storm Boris it hit Central and Eastern Europe, causing floods and extensive damage, while other regions of the continent, such as Ireland and the northern United Kingdom, suffered from a worrying drought, with fires that further aggravated the situation.
Second Samantha Burgessdeputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the worsening of rainfall is closely linked to rising temperatures: “Extreme rainfall, exacerbated by a warmer atmosphere, continues to intensify, with entire months of rain falling in just a few days. The risk of extreme events will increase as temperatures continue to rise.”
A world at the mercy of extreme events
September 2024 did not spare other parts of the world either. While Central Europe was being deluged by rain, other areas such as Iberian Peninsula and the Sahel they suffered from extreme drought conditions.
In North America, the southeastern United States was hit by the hurricane Helenawhile unusually heavy rains hit southern Brazil and northern Africa. At the same time, the Philippines and Taiwan have been devastated by typhoon Krathonand the Pakistan suffered extensive damage due to the monsoon.
In many regions, the combination of high temperatures and low rainfall has triggered fires of alarming proportions, such as those that hit the Russia and large areas of South America. The drying up of the land and the increase in temperatures are proving to be an explosive cocktail, leading to the destruction of ecosystems and the worsening of the climate crisis.
Boiling oceans and collapsing ice
The oceans are also being heavily affected by global warming. In September 2024, the average sea surface temperature reached 20.83°C, the second highest on record for this month.
In many ocean regions, temperatures remained unusually high, which led to a slight cooling of the equatorial and central Pacific waters. Rising sea temperatures have disastrous consequences for marine life and coastal communities, which are facing increasingly extreme phenomena.
As for sea ice, data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service shows how the Arctic is losing more and more ground. Arctic sea ice extent has reached sixth annual low on recordwith coverage 19% lower than average. Even in Antarctica the situation is no better: the extent of sea ice was 7% below averageconfirming a downward trend that does not seem destined to stop.
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