“The extreme weather which has affected many millions of people in July is unfortunately the harsh reality of climate change."
July isn’t even over yet and a group of scientists are saying it’s “extremely likely,” it will be the hottest month ever recorded. That’s according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the E.U.-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Already, the first three weeks of this month have been the warmest three-week stretch globally on record. Comparing that stretch of time to previous years, experts believe this July is on track to beat previous records. And the world has already been experiencing the impact of this climate-changed world—from heat waves in Europe, the U.S., and Asia, to wildfires in Canada and Greece, and hot tub-esque seawater around Miami.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]“The extreme weather which has affected many millions of people in July is unfortunately the harsh reality of climate change and a foretaste of the future,” said Petteri Taalas, the World Meteorological Organization’s Secretary-General, in a statement. “The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is more urgent than ever before. Climate action is not a luxury but a must.”
To make their determination, scientists at the WMO and Copernicus looked at satellite data for both surface air and sea temperatures. July 6 saw the global average surface air temperature reach a record 17.08°C (62.74°F). And for the month so far, average global air temperatures have reached 16.95°C (62.51°F). That’s well above the average 16.63°C (61.93°F) temperatures experienced in July 2019 which, until this month is over, will technically hold the top place as the warmest July, and warmest month, ever recorded. Meanwhile, average global sea surface temperatures have been at record highs since April.
More From TIME
Read more: When It Comes to Climate Change, There’s No Such Thing as a New Normal
This month’s record heat comes amid the developing El Nino weather phenomenon, which is expected to boost the impacts of climate change further, from extreme heat to weirder weather.
Unfortunately, experts don’t expect things to ease up anytime soon. “Record-breaking temperatures are part of the trend of drastic increases in global temperatures. Anthropogenic emissions are ultimately the main driver of these rising temperatures,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, in a statement. “July’s record is unlikely to remain isolated this year.”
A version of this story also appears in the Climate is Everything newsletter. To sign up, click here.