The Guadalajara metropolitan area roasted in September, with the monthly average temperature recorded by the Institute of Astronomy and Meteorology (IAM) hitting its highest ever level.
Staff at the Universidad de Guadalajara facility said the average temperature last month was 2.5 degrees Celsius above the norm for recent years. Record temperatures were also set in June and July.
The local data coincides with the global trend. The world’s temperatures in September 2023 were the warmest on record, according to the EU’s Climate Service. The agency accredited the heat surge to continuing high levels of carbon dioxide emissions combined with a rapid flip of the planet’s biggest natural climate phenomenon, El Niño.
Scientists from all over the world have called the September anomaly deeply troubling. “This is not a fancy weather statistic,” Imperial College of London climate scientist Friederike Otto told Euronews.com. “It’s a death sentence for people and ecosystems. It destroys assets, infrastructure, harvests.”
According to multiple sources, the planet is on track for its hottest year on record, which is about 1.4°C warmer than in pre-industrial times.