July was the hottest month in recorded history, climate scientists report, and a St. Albert engineer says that proves people here need to be prepared for disastrous weather.
The National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration released its July Global Climate Report Aug. 15. The report confirmed, as many researchers had predicted last month, that July was the hottest month since global temperature records began in 1880, being 0.95 C above the 20th century average. This record follows on June being the hottest June in recorded history.
The report notes nine of the 10 hottest Julys have happened since 2005, with last July marking the 415th consecutive month where global temperatures were above the 20th century average.
July saw much of the world shatter temperature records, with Canadian Forces Station Alert, the world’s northernmost community, reaching a record 21 C on July 15, making it warmer than Victoria, B.C.
The report noted that this January to July was tied with 2017 as the second warmest such period in history, and that 2019 was “virtually certain” to be one of the five warmest years on record.
Joel Nodelman, a St. Albert engineer who has studied climate risk for decades, said this new record didn’t surprise him, as climate models have long predicted hotter temperatures as greenhouse gases emissions pile up.
“What we’re seeing is what’s been predicted.”
So why was the world hot when St. Albert was wet and miserable for most of July? Think of the climate as a boiling pot of water, Nodelman said. As you add more heat to it, it churns, so that some parts warm faster than others. St. Albert might not be scorching right now, but it’s definitely warmer now than it was in decades before. (The Edmonton region has warmed 1.7 C in the last century, according to Climate Resilient Edmonton.)
Climate models predict that we’re going to see more extreme weather as the world warms by 2 to 5 C above the historic average this century, Nodelman said. In addition to walking more, investing in energy and water efficiency, and taking other steps to prevent the heat-trapping emissions that are behind global heating, St. Albert residents should create emergency kits to prepare for that extreme weather.
“Prepare yourselves for 72 hours without power,” Nodelman said, and have copies of all essential documents ready to grab if you have to evacuate.
The NOAA report is available at bit.ly/31QIkuX.
