Warmest October since records began
Never since measurements began has October on Earth been as warm as this year. 2023 was by far the warmest October since the series of measurements began in 1940, the EU climate change service Copernicus announced on Wednesday.
The calendar year to date from January to October was 0.10 degrees warmer than the ten-month average for 2016, the warmest calendar year to date. Globally, last month was 0.40 degrees warmer than the warmest October 2019 to date, making it the fourth warmest October on record in Europe.
The average surface temperature this October of 15.30 degrees Celsius was 1.7 degrees warmer than the estimated average for the period between 1850 and 1900, the so-called pre-industrial reference period. The average sea surface temperature of 20.79 degrees Celsius is the highest recorded for an October since measurements began in 1940.
Global temperatures also have an impact on the entire year. "We can say with a fair degree of certainty that 2023 will be the warmest year on record and is currently 1.43 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average," said Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), referring to the first ten months.
"There were exceptional temperature anomalies in October 2023 after four months of breaking global temperature records," Burgess said. Looking ahead to the upcoming climate conference in Dubai, she emphasized: "The urgency of ambitious climate action for COP28 has never been greater."
The current warm weather trends are largely attributed to climate change science. Understanding the climate's role in influencing weather patterns is crucial in predicting future temperature anomalies.
Source: www.dpa.com
