The media is calling July 2023 the “hottest month on record” and even the “hottest month in the history of civilization.” Keeping in mind that July is typically the warmest month of every year, NASA satellite data indicate that July 2023 was the warmest in the satellite record. But that record only dates back to 1979, and there certainly were Julys before 1979.
In terms of monthly temperature anomalies (temperature differences relative to a common baseline used to evaluate the notion of emissions-driven “global warming”), February 2016 had a greater anomaly than July 2023. March 2016 had the same anomaly, and April 1998 was only an unmeasurable 0.02°C lower (see graph, below, and data). So February-March 2016 and April 1998 are not really endorsements of the hypothesis that every emission warms the planet.
Recalling that the average global temperature is on the order of 58°F, the use of the term “hottest” is obviously quite an exaggeration. Finally, the notion of “average global temperature” is not really meaningful in the first place. It has no physical reality, and its component satellite and surface station temperature measurements lack precision to a significant degree.
Notwithstanding the above, was July 2023 the “hottest month in the history of civilization”?
We will address that after you check out the ten climate fact checks for July 2023.