July 4 Was World’s Hottest Day on Record, Early Data Shows

The world set a new record for the hottest day ever recorded on Monday. Tuesday was even hotter. 

The Details: According to data from NOAA, the average global air temperature reached about 17.01 degrees Celsius (62.62 Fahrenheit) on Monday and 17.18 Celsius (62.92 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday. News coverage often cited a chart by the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute. 

For Context: Several factors converged to produce Monday and Tuesday’s record-breaking heat. Summer is starting in the Northern Hemisphere, and the cyclical El Niño weather pattern is raising Pacific Ocean surface temperatures. However, scientists cited by many news outlets pointed to background warming from carbon emissions as an underlying factor. Record heat in June — felt worldwide from Texas to Europe, China, and India — matches a trend of steadily rising global average temperatures since the early 1900s.

How the Media Covered It: Right-rated sources appeared to cover the story far less than others — but still sometimes covered stories about specific heat waves. While left and center-rated outlets often quoted professors and other researchers, the Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) cited BBC News (Center bias), AP (Lean Left bias), HuffPost (Left bias), and a researcher’s tweet. Meanwhile, some center and left-rated outlets framed climate change as an “emergency” or a “crisis.”