Independence Day Scare: Fourth of July was the Earth's hottest day in recorded history

July 4, 2023, was the hottest day on Earth ever recorded by humans, reaching an average global temperature of 62.9 degrees Fahrenheit (17.18 degrees Celsius), according to U.S. researchers. 

The previous record for Earth’s hottest day was set the day before on July 3 at 62.62 degrees Fahrenheit, and was previously split between July 2022 and August 2016, when the global temperature reached 62.46 degrees Fahrenheit or 17.01 degrees Celsius. 

The hottest day on Earth is not to be confused with the hottest temperature ever recorded, which was 134 degrees Fahrenheit (56.7 degrees Celsius) in Death Valley, California in 1913.  

The average global temperature is recorded two meters above the Earth’s surface with data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalizer—a tool that uses satellite data and computer simulations.  

While global temperature records date back to 1979, scientists with NOAA and the University of Maine believe that the global temperature can be traced back to the 1850s, when instrumental measurements started being used. Scientists believe that the temperatures recorded this week are the hottest in roughly 125,000 years. 

Experts believe the rise in the global temperature this year is due to the recent heat waves seen throughout North America, Europe, and parts of Asia and Africa. Some say the world is also experiencing the El Nino effect, during which sea surface temperature increases. 

Scientists have warned that the record for the hottest day might be broken again in the coming months, as extreme weather events continue to be expected through the remainder of the summer months.