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July has been the hottest month ever recorded globally, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Last month was the hottest June ever.
“Record-breaking temperatures are part of the trend of drastic increases in global temperatures,” Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said, adding that human-caused emissions are the “main driver” of rising temperatures. Copernicus is a climate data provider.
The southeastern U.S. has been warming about half a degree per decade, with temperatures in the Raleigh-Durham region increasing by nearly 6 degrees since 1970, according to data from Climate Central, a Princeton, N.J.-based research nonprofit.
The Raleigh-Durham area also has 16 more days above 95 degrees and 40 more “risky” heat days – annual days above the 90th percentile – than it did in 1970. That’s one of the most significant increases in the nation, according to data from the Applied Climate Information System, a data system managed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration regional climate centers.
