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July was California's hottest month ever
A thermometer shows temperatures above 100.
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Topline:
In July, average temperatures across California were a whopping 7 degrees hotter than the 100-year average. Officials with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA), which compiled the recent data, say the record-breaking heat is a sign of human-caused climate change.
The context: It’s part of a worsening global heating trend primarily driven by burning fossil fuels for electricity and transportation, as well as other human activities. The three hottest months in California’s recorded history have all occurred in just the last ten years. Globally, this July was also the warmest in at least 175 years, when NOAA began keeping records. This July was the 14th consecutive month where global temperature averages were at record highs.
SoCal specific: How much you felt the heat depends on where you live, but the mountains and deserts have seen the most extreme temperatures. Lancaster set a record for the most consecutive days over 110 degrees — six days in a row, over three days in 2021. Palm Springs hit 124 degrees on July 5, breaking an all-time heat record. Palmdale hit 115 degrees on July 6, also an all-time high.
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What’s next: NOAA expects August and September to be hotter-than-average as well. The exceptional heat this summer is drying out vegetation quickly, a recipe for continued and worsening fires.
Go deeper:
Updated August 15, 2024 at 10:24 AM PDT
We've updated this story with the latest information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. In the agency's latest analysis, released Aug. 15, NOAA scientists determined July 2024 was the hottest month globally in their records.
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