Summer 2021: A Record-Breaking Heatwave?

June 2023 has seen the highest temperatures in decades for this time of year, with a spike in temperatures worldwide due to human emissions of heat-trapping gases and the return of the natural climate pattern known as El Niño. These factors are setting the stage for more severe hot spells, droughts, wildfires, and hurricanes. The current El Niño has emerged amid planetary conditions that could compound its warming effects, making it trickier for NOAA to forecast the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season. The weather's natural variability is always causing swings, both warm and cool, between years and in specific regions, but human-driven warming remains the long-term trend.