North America Records Hottest June Ever

The heatwave that broke temperature records in North America made last month the hottest June ever for the region, according to Europe’s Earth observation agency Copernicus. 

Europe also experienced extreme heat in northern and eastern areas, posting its second-warmest June on record, the agency said in its monthly report on Wednesday. June 2021 was the fourth-warmest on record globally, tied with June 2018, with temperatures 0.21 degrees Celsius warmer than the average from 1991 to 2020.

High June temperatures extended from Europe’s north-east toward the south-west to hit North Africa, and toward the south-east as far as Iran and Pakistan, Copernicus said. The region was 1.5°C warmer than the average between 1991 and 2020 for June. 

Climate change is exacerbating unusual weather patterns all over the world, with the Northern Hemisphere experiencing extreme heat as summer kicks off. Last year tied with 2016 as the hottest on record, with global average temperatures 0.78°C higher than the average for the 20th century. Temperatures are set to increase 3°C by the end of the century, compared with pre-industrial times, even as global leaders pledge to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

Arctic Siberia also experienced high temperatures and its fourth-warmest June on record. Sea ice extent in the region was below average, but higher than levels recorded over the previous five Junes. The Laptev Sea, on the northeastern coast of Siberia, registered the lowest ice coverage on average mainly due to large areas of open water within the sea ice pack. Sea ice cover in the Kara Sea, to the west, was above average.