The first week of July was the hottest week on record globally, according to the United Nations Meteorological Organization (WMO).
“The world has just experienced its warmest week on record, according to preliminary data,” the World Meteorological Organization said in a statement.
Record temperatures have also been set in June as a result of climate change and the fact that the world is in a situation called El Niño, according to the agency.
The record for early July is the latest in a row in a year already marked by drought in Spain and heatwaves in both China and the United States.
And according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the temperatures are breaking records on land and at sea, with “potentially devastating effects on ecosystems and the environment.”
WMO expects more heat records as the El Niño weather phenomenon continues to develop.
“This is troubling news for the planet,” said Christopher Hewitt, director of the World Meteorological Organization.
El Niño and La Niña are phases of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) weather cycle. El Niño warms the surface waters in the eastern parts of the Pacific Ocean while La Niña (the girl) cools them.
El Niño returns on average every two to seven years and typically lasts nine to twelve months. The climax often occurs around Christmas time, hence the name El Niño (The Boy).
El Niño effects such as increased precipitation usually affect parts of southern South America, the southern United States, the Horn of Africa, and Central Asia, while severe drought may occur over Australia, Indonesia, and parts of southern Asia.
La Niña effects have opposite conditions. As it gets drier in South America, it rains more frequently in Australia with a higher risk of flooding.
The last time the world experienced an El Niño was in 2018-2019.
There is nothing abnormal about El Niño and La Niña, but they do happen from time to time. It has been noted that they have occurred at least since the nineteenth century.
Sources: WMO, SMHI
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