Global Weather Records Broken in 2021
Grace Gagnon
Weather Reporter·2y ·United States
Scientists say extreme weather events are on the rise, and this past year has been no exception. Floods, hurricanes, droughts, wildfires, and heatwaves have become so common that they don’t always make news headlines.
This past year has been a busy one for record-breaking weather. We look back at some of the most memorable and severe weather records of 2021.
Hottest Month on Record
July 2021 was the hottest month ever recorded in the world, according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. The global land and ocean surface mean temperature was 1.67 °F above the 20th-century average of 60.4°F and 0.02 °F higher than the previous record set in July 2016.
Warmest September on Record for Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere saw its warmest September on record with a surface temperature departure of 1.26°F above the average. The heat, combined with a lack of rainfall, meant that Brazil grappled with one of its worst droughts in nearly a century.
US Cities Record Hottest Day Ever
As much of the Pacific Northwest sweltered in a heatwave in June, Seattle, Portland, and other cities broke all-time heat records. Portland broke the record twice, recording 108°F one day and 112°F the next. The previous record was 107°F. The highest temperature recorded in the US was 130°F
Highest August Temperature in Mexico
The city of Mexicali recorded a record high temperature of 50.4°C (122.7°F) in August. This was the highest temperature ever recorded in August in Mexico. The city held the previous record, having recorded a temperature of 50.2°C (122.36°F) in August 2020.
Average Global Sea Level Reaches Record High
The global sea level reached a record high for the second year running. According to the World Meteorological Organization, the increase is primarily due to the accelerated loss of ice mass from glaciers and ice sheets.
Rain on Greenland’s Ice Sheet
Rain rather than snow fell on Greenland’s ice sheet for the first time. While the event didn’t make the headlines and it isn’t technically a record, if Greenland continues to melt, scientists say that tens of millions of people could be in danger of yearly flooding and displacement by 2030.
“No other single factor will probably contribute more to sea-level rise over the next few decades,” says one expert.
Featured Image: Photo by Denny Müller on Unsplash
