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The summer of 2022 was the hottest on record for Europe and China, the second-hottest for North America and Asia, and the fifth-hottest June-to-August period for planet Earth since record-keeping began in 1880, NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) reported September 14.
NASA ranked June through August as tied with 2019 for the warmest on record globally.
According to NOAA, August was Earth’s sixth-warmest August on record, and the warmest on record over Northern Hemisphere land areas. NASA rated August as the second warmest on record, behind 2016, 1.22 degrees Celsius (2.20°F) above the 1880-1920 period – its best estimate for when preindustrial temperatures last occurred. The European Copernicus Climate Change Service rated August 2022 as the third warmest August on record; the Japan Meteorological Agency rated it the second warmest. Minor differences in the agencies’ rankings can result from the different ways they treat data-sparse regions such as the Arctic; the top six warmest Augusts in the NOAA database are separated by only 0.08°C.
Land areas had their fifth-warmest August on record in 2022, with global ocean temperatures the sixth-warmest on record, according to NOAA. North America and Europe had their warmest August on record, and Asia, its fourth-warmest. Oceania, Africa, and South America each had a warmer-than-average August, but it did not rank among their top 10 on record.
The year-to-date global surface temperature is the sixth-highest on record, and the year 2022 is virtually certain to rank among the 10 warmest years on record, according to NOAA. However, it is only 10.4% likely to rank in the top five, and there is less than a 0.1% chance that 2022 will rank as the warmest year on record, largely because La Niña conditions are very likely to prevail for the rest of the year (more below).
In 2022, the contiguous U.S. had its eighth-hottest August, third-hottest July, and 15th-hottest June, giving the nation its third-hottest summer since records began in 1895. The average temperature of 73.92 degrees Fahrenheit was 2.52°F above the 20th century average, just 0.08°F behind the record hottest summers, in both 2021 and 1936.
During the period of intensified global and national warming since 1970, average summer temperatures in the contiguous U.S. have risen by about 2.2°F. In records going back to 1895, five of the 10 warmest U.S. summers have occurred over the past decade.
(2) Summer 2022 in the United States (Lower 48) had an average temperature of 73.92F/23.3C which was 1.59F above the 1991-2020 baseline and was the 3rd hottest summer on records ,just 0.08F behind the 2021 and 1936 summers. See map with rankings for each State by NOAA/NCDC. pic.twitter.com/qvLYPELW0w
China had its most intense heat wave in recorded history during the June – August period, according to the China Meteorological Administration (CMA). That rating takes into account intensity, scale, and duration. The climate record for heat waves in China extends back to 1961. As documented below, an astonishing 265 stations in China with a long-term period of record set an all-time heat record in August; and additional 41 stations did so in July, and 16 in June. These statistics led extreme temperature expert Maximiliano Herrera to call the 2022 heat wave in China the most severe in world history (see Tweet below). On August 12, the heat wave prompted the CMA to issue its first-ever national-level red alert.
As tweeted by ChinaWXnerds, the Yangtze River at Wuhan had sunk by early September to its lowest late-summer levels in some 150 years of record-keeping.
Yesterday 21 August 82 more heat records were broken in China,56 which for any month (list in the thread below). Many stations have recorded their top 20/25/30 hottest days of the past 70 years,all in the past weeks. This heat wave overtakes anything seen previously worldwide. https://t.co/KrRYZC2XIy
11 out of the top 10 highest daily mean temperatures in #Chongqing are now set in 2022. Just unfathomable. For reference, the *average* temperature in #Chongqing yesterday was 38.9℃ / 102℉, marking it the hottest day in history; the high, a new record, was 43.7℃ /110.7℉. 🥵 pic.twitter.com/1n6ORkmfQi
The water level of #YangtzeRiver in #Wuhan is at its lowest in 150 years. pic.twitter.com/t8mQSOtBz9
Shocking pictures from China: World’s third-largest river dries up in drought 👇pic.twitter.com/1rXKa01quq
The most expensive weather-related disaster worldwide so far in 2022 has been the devastating floods that struck Pakistan in late August, largely driven by record-smashing monsoon rainfall across the southern half of the nation, augmented by the arrival of two decaying tropical depressions from the Bay of Bengal.
Based on monthly climate summaries from the Pakistan Meteorological Department, precipitation in Pakistan was the heaviest on record when averaged nationwide for both July (6.98 inches or 177.5 millimeters, topping the record from 1978 of 6.03″) and August (7.58″ or 192.7 mm, demolishing the record from 2020 of 4.59″).
As explained by Eye on the Storm commentor WestIndWX:
The arid southern half of the country has been the worst-affected region. Usually, the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan are extremely dry, with an average annual rainfall of less than 8 inches (200 mm), and in some places less than 4 inches (100 mm). Most of the land is desert or semi-desert, except for a small patch of land on both sides of the Indus River which is irrigated and densely populated. This year, there were several monsoon systems which pushed deep into the region and dumped exceptionally heavy rain. Many places got their entire annual average rainfall just in July, and then several years’ worth of rain in August. In Sindh, 11 out of 17 observatories broke their August record, with nine of them more than doubling their previous record.
Most dramatically, the town of Padidan in Sindh recorded 1763.9 mm (69.44 inches) of rain in July and August, more than three times its heaviest annual total on record!
Bob Henson’s post on August 30, which compares the 2022 flood to a similar disaster in 2010 and explores the multiple climate-change factors that likely contributed to the disaster, included these grim initial statistics:
People affected: 20 million in 2010; 33 million in 2022; People displaced: 6 million in 2010; 3.1 million in 2022; Fatalities: 1,985 in 2010; 1,136 in 2022; Homes destroyed: 1.8 million in 2010; 300,000 in 2022; Livestock killed: 200,000 in 2010; 700,000+ in 2022; Damage (2022 USD): $12.9 billion in 2010; $10+ billion in 2022
Devastating floods in Pakistan killed more than 100 people this weekend. Officials said the country's record rainfall this summer has killed more than 1,000 people since mid-June, and affected more than 33 million people.https://t.co/OSyYMYoZOA pic.twitter.com/gCW7DfMavi
A preliminary satellite-based analysis from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research found that for the period August 1-29, roughly 75,000 square kilometers of Pakistan were inundated, or about 9% of the entire nation. Within that flooded area, about 48,000 square kilometers were cropland, representing an astounding 21% of Pakistan’s entire cultivated area (based on data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization). It is unclear which data were used for the widely cited estimate from Pakistan officials that one-third of the nation was under water.
It could take up to six months for the waters to recede across the hardest-hit parts of Pakistan, ensuring additional misery for millions.
IN THE NEWS: “There are 16 million #children who have lost everything. Apart from the clothes on their backs, they have nothing," Save the Children #Pakistan director Khuram Gondal told @AmberMaySchultz @crikey_news on the impact of the flooding disaster.https://t.co/388zeazayb
According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the summer of 2022 was Europe’s hottest on record by a stunning margin: 0.4 degree Celsius (0.7°F). It is rare to break a continental seasonal record by such a large margin, and this summer’s weather caused major havoc in Europe. The hot summer weather brought with it extreme drought: The European Commission on August 23 said preliminary data suggests “the current drought still appears to be the worst since at least 500 years.”
As of August 31, EU harvest forecasts are down 16% for corn, 15% for soybeans, and 12% for sunflowers, because of drought and heat.
The severe droughts affecting many regions of Europe since the beginning of summer got worse in August, according to @CopernicusEU In the last 10 days of August: 🔶35% of the 🇪🇺 was still under warning conditions 🛑25% of the 🇪🇺 was in alert Read more 👉 https://t.co/GVT284QXHk pic.twitter.com/gy4ZjlPJ2G
The intense heat caused record melting of glaciers in the Alps, brought France a record wildfire season, dried up rivers to levels not seen in centuries, and heated up portions of the Mediterranean Sea to 5 degrees Celsius (9°F) above average (see Tweets below).
The speed of deglaciation in the Alps is hard to accept: within just two months, a mountain pass at Les Diablerets @Glacier_3000, Western Switzerland, ice-covered for several thousand years, became ice-free. The summer of 2022 has shifted the realities for Alpine #glaciers… pic.twitter.com/MaBdor567P
Recent droughts in Europe have made the "Hunger Stones" visible. These stones were used to mark desperately low river levels that would forecast famines. This one, in Elbe river, is from 1616 and says: "If you see me, cry" There is no time to wait. #ActOnClimate #climate pic.twitter.com/bsfJa1G1yl
#SeaSurfaceTemperature Anomaly measured by MetOp-B 🛰 in July. 📸 Figure shows July #SST Anomaly from comparison with a climatology based on OSTIA analyses over the 1995-2007 period.#Mediterranean Sea is accumulating heat ! Anomalies over +5°C are measured in western part. pic.twitter.com/oUzTMg7yes
Unfortunately, in just 15 years, the intense heat in Europe’s summer of 2022 will be considered an average summer, according to an August analysis by the UK Met Office Hadley Centre (see Tweet below). And a July study in the journal Nature found that Europe is a heat wave hotspot on the globe, because of changes in the jet stream (see Tweet below).
New study: Europe is a heatwave hotspot, exhibiting upward trends that are three-to-four times faster compared to the rest of the northern midlatitudes. The reason: changes in the jet stream.https://t.co/ml7qNWAUmf
Unimaginable. This extreme European summer is normal in 15 years! An extreme summer in the 2030s is normal in the 2040s. From the 2050s summers will be deadly and horrific. Can we please act now and avoid this terrible future? There is so much we can still do! pic.twitter.com/NgRrcnslMh
This summer's multiple severe droughts affecting major grain-growing breadbaskets underscores a point I've been arguing for years: drought is the greatest threat climate change poses to humanity in the near term. https://t.co/AMBXabq3o2
La Niña conditions intensified during August and are expected to continue through the Northern Hemisphere autumn and winter (91% chance during September-November and a 54% chance in January-March), NOAA reported in its September monthly discussion of the state of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation, or ENSO. The odds of an El Niño event are no more than 6% into early 2023. The forecasters said there is “still large uncertainty over how long La Niña will last and when it will transition to ENSO-neutral (56% chance of a transition to ENSO-neutral during February-April 2023).”
Over the past month, sea-surface temperatures in the benchmark Niño 3.4 region of the eastern tropical Pacific (5°N-5°S, 170°W-120°W) decreased to about 1.0 degree Celsius below average, as analyzed at tropicaltidbits.com. The range for “weak” La Niña conditions is 0.5-1.0 degree Celsius below average; the range for “moderate” La Niña conditions is 1.0-1.5 degrees Celsius below average. Using a slightly different base climatology, NOAA reported on September 8 that the benchmark Niño 3.4 value was 0.8 degree Celsius below average.
A third consecutive northern winter with La Niña in 2022-23 would be unusual but not unprecedented: Three-year La Niña sequences occurred in 1973-76 and 1998-2001. There have been no four-year La Niña sequences in NOAA data that extends back to 1950, although La Niña was present in five out of six northern winters from 1970 to 1976.
The impact of the current La Niña event may be boosted by a negative Pacific Decadal Oscillation, or PDO. The PDO is an index of sea-surface temperatures across the northeast and tropical Pacific Ocean that reflects some of the circulation aspects of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. The PDO can swing sharply from month to month, but usually it leans positive (warm) or negative (cool) for a few years at a time. Nearly every month since 2017 has had a negative PDO; August’s value was the lowest for any August since 2012, and the seventh lowest August value in NOAA data going back to 1854. When the PDO is negative, La Niña’s impacts often are more pronounced.
Arctic sea ice extent during August 2022 was the 13th-lowest in the 44-year satellite record, and had the highest August extent since 2014, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, or NSIDC. The southern route through Canada’s Northwest Passage was almost sea ice-free as of late August, except for some low concentration first-year ice in the vicinity of Victoria Strait. The northern route was not open for ice-free navigation, however.
Antarctic sea ice extent in August was the lowest for any August on record, beating out 2002. Antarctic sea ice extent tended to increase slightly from the 1980s through the 2010s, but it has decreased notably from 2017 onward, whereas arctic sea ice extent has decreased more consistently and dramatically over the past 40 years.
So far this year, Greenland has had a near-average melt year overall, with the total melt-day area ranking twentieth in the 44-year record. However, a late-season heat wave and melt event occurred in Greenland from September 2 to 5 (see Tweet below).
Unprecedented in the 44 years of satellite monitoring, a late season heat wave & melt event occurred in Greenland from 9/2-9/5. At the peak on 9/3, more than 1/3 of the ice sheet had surface melting. Learn more in our latest Greenland Ice Sheet Today post: https://t.co/epWPcbHCga pic.twitter.com/g6JFrFzmFD
The information below is courtesy of Maximiliano Herrera. Follow him on Twitter: @extremetemps.
– Hottest August temperature in the Northern Hemisphere: 53.6°C (128.5°F) at Shush, Iran, August 9; – Coldest August temperature in the Northern Hemisphere: -34.7°C (-30.5°F) at Summit, Greenland, August 21; – Hottest August temperature in the Southern Hemisphere: 41.5°C (106.7°F) at Villamontes, Bolivia, August 17; – Coldest August temperature in the Southern Hemisphere: -80.3°C (-112.5°F) at Concordia, Antarctica, August 23; – Highest 2022 average temperature to date (Jan.-Aug.) in the Southern Hemisphere: 29.4°C (84.9°F) at Surabya AP, Indonesia; and – Highest 2022 average temperature to date (Jan.-Aug.) in the Northern Hemisphere: 32.2°C (90.0°F) at Matam, Sengal.
Among global stations with a record of at least 40 years, an astonishing 298 set (not just tied) an all-time heat record in August; 265 of these stations were in China, because of an incredibly intense and long-lasting heat wave that has no parallel in world history:
Nanao (Japan) max. 38.0°C, August 1; Obama (Japan) max. 39.1°C, August 1; Shiotsu (Japan) max. 37.5°C, August 1; Aoya (Japan) max. 38.5°C, August 1; Bridgewater (South Dakota, USA) max 41.7°C, August 2; Kashima (Japan) max. 37.2°C, August 2; Yamanaka (Japan) max. 33.6°C, August 2; Inatori (Japan) max. 36.5°C, August 3; Mornant (France) max. 40.5°C, August 4; Badonviller (France) max. 39.1 °C, August 4; Mullheim (Germany) max. 38.7 °C, August 4; Weinbiet (Germany) max. 38.0 °C, August 4; Fehmarn (Germany) max. 34.0°C, August 4; Zadar (Croatia) max. 39.0°C, August 6; Rab (Croatia) max. 39.5°C, August 6; Nangqian (China) max. 30.0°C, August 9; Yushu (China) max. 29.9°C, August 9; Qumarleb (China) max. 25.6°C, August 9; Madoi (China) max. 24.4°C, August 9; Darlag (China) max. 25.9°C, August 9; Dawu (China) max. 34.2°C, August 9; Gade (China) max. 25.7°C, August 9; Jingjiang (China) max. 40.6°C, August 10; Jianwei (China) max. 40.3 °C, August 11; Xindou (China) max. 38.9°C, August 11; Kumatori (Japan) max. 36.7°C, August 11; Ile d’ Yeu (France) max. 36.0°C, August 11; Cardinham (United Kingdom) max. 31.6°C, August 11; Milford Haven (United Kingdom) max. 30.8°C, August 12; Mumbles Head (United Kingdom) max. 31.2°C, August 12; Maanshan (China) max. 42.0°C, August 12; Zhushan (China) max. 44.3°C, August 13; Baokang (China) max. 42.8 °C, August 13; Shennongjia (China) max 37.6°C, August 13; Zhuxi (China) max 42.0°C, August 13; Bahie (China) max 43.0°C, August 13; Hanyin (China) max 41.1°C, August 13; Chuzhou (China) max 38.5°C, August 13; Lekang (China) max 36.2°C, August 13; Alicante (Spain) max. 42.0°C, August 13; Javea (Spain) max. 40.8°C, August 13; Murcia San Javier (Spain) max. 41.9°C, August 13; Formentera (Spain) max. 44.5°C, August 13; Ibiza AP (Spain) max. 41.0°C, August 13; Palma Port (Spain) max. 39.1°C, August 13; Almeria AP (Spain) max. 42.0°C, August 13; Maanshan (China) max. 42.7°C, August 14; Hangzhou (China) max. 41.8°C, August 14; Ningshan (China) max. 38.5°C, August 14; Zhenping (China) max. 38.1°C, August 14; Qingyang (China) max. 41.1°C, August 14; Yizheng (China) max. 41.1°C, August 14; Danyang (China) max. 41.1°C, August 14; Taixing (China) max. 40.9°C, August 14; Dongshan (China) max. 40.7°C, August 14; Yangzhou (China) max. 40.6°C, August 14; Jiangdu (China) max. 40.5°C, August 14; Taizhou (China) max. 40.0°C, August 14; Gaoyu (China) max. 40.0°C, August 14; Xinghua (China) max. 39.7°C, August 14; Jinhua (China) max. 42.0°C, August 14; Sohu (China) max. 41.9°C, August 14; Zizong (China) max. 41.5°C, August 14; Shimian (China) max. 40.9°C, August 14; Wanyuan (China) max. 40.5°C, August 14; Fengjie (China) max. 44.4°C, August 15; Wuxi (China) max. 44.0°C, August 15; Jianyang (China) max. 43.0°C, August 15; Yixing (China) max. 42.2°C, August 15; Renshou (China) max. 41.5°C, August 15; Yanting (China) max. 41.3°C, August 15; Santai (China) max. 41.2°C, August 15; Tianzhu Mountain (China) max. 33.7°C, August 15; Xingshan (China) max. 43.7°C, August 15; Tiancheng (China) max. 43.0°C, August 15; Badong (China) max. 42.8°C, August 15; Danjiangkou (China) max. 42.7°C, August 15; Wufeng (China) max. 42.1°C, August 15; Xuanhan (China) max. 41.9°C, August 15; Gucheng (China) max. 41.7°C, August 15; Deqing (China) max. 41.5°C, August 15; Kaikiang (China) max. 41.4°C, August 15; Jiangjiang (China) max. 41.4°C, August 15; Laohekou (China) max. 41.1°C, August 15; Mo (China) max. 40.9°C, August 15; Cangxi (China) max. 40.9°C, August 15; Da Shi (China) max. 40.5°C, August 15; Wuxue (China) max. 40.5°C, August 15; Taihu Lake (China) max. 40.4°C, August 15; Zining (China) max. 40.2°C, August 15; Qianshan (China) max. 40.1°C, August 15; Nantong (China) max. 40.0°C, August 15; Tongzhou (China) max. 39.6°C, August 15; Zhangxin (China) max. 39.4°C, August 15; Jonhu (China) max. 39.2°C, August 15; Saijo (Japan) max. 37.9°C, August 15; Gunge (Japan) max. 37.2°C, August 15; Mabian (China) max. 40.1°C, August 16; Daye (China) max. 41.3°C, August 16; Tianquan (China) max. 37.0°C, August 16; Shishou (China) max. 38.9 16 August Tongnan (China) max. 44.4°C, August 17; Guangan (China) max. 43.1°C, August 17; Hanchuan (China) max. 39.7°C, August 17; Hechuan (China) max. 42.9°C, August 17; Gabes (Tunisia) max. 48.0°C, August 18; Monastir (Tunisia) max. 47.1°C, August 18; Palermo AP (Italy) max. 44.3°C, August 18; Beibei (China) max. 45.0°C, August 18; Amagi (China) max. 43.3°C, August 18; Changshou (China) max. 42.9°C, August 18; Liangping (China) max. 42.0°C, August 18; Yubei (China) max. 41.9°C, August 18; Linshui (China) max. 43.0°C, August 18; Nanzhang (China) max. 41.4°C, August 18; Da Xian (China) max. 42.5°C, August 18; Jiang Lu (China) max. 44.7°C, August 18; Dianjiang (China) max. 42.2°C, August 18; Xingwen (China) max. 43.8°C, August 18; Dazhou (China) max. 42.5°C, August 18; Jiangxia (China) max. 40.7°C, August 18; Gongan (China) max. 38.9°C, August 18; Taoyuan (China) max. 41.4°C, August 18; Sang Zhi (China) max. 40.9°C, August 18; Linli (China) max. 40.7°C, August 18; Yuanjiang (China) max. 40.5°C, August 18; Lanxi (China) max. 41.7°C, August 18; Peng Ze (China) max. 40.1°C, August 18; Chongqing Shapingba (China) max. 43.7°C, August 19; Yongchuan (China) max. 42.8°C, August 19; Tongjiang (China) max. 41.1°C, August 19; Shimen (China) max. 41.2°C, August 19; Luan (China) max. 41.5°C, August 19; Chaohu (China) max. 40.1°C, August 19; Sanxia (China) max. 43.2°C, August 19; Huangshi (China) max. 41.6°C, August 19; Jiayu (China) max. 40.7°C, August 19; Song Yi (China) max. 40.5°C, August 19; Zhijiang (China) max. 39.8°C, August 19; Jingzhou (China) max. 39.2°C, August 19; Lichuan (China) max. 35.9°C, August 19; Guangshan (China) max. 40.2°C, August 19; Shizu (China) max. 43.5°C, August 19; Mochang (China) max. 43.1°C, August 19; Archea (China) max. 43.2°C, August 19; Shanghai Airport (China) max. 40.0°C, August 19; Yongxing (China) max. 40.6°C, August 19; Longshan (China) max. 40.3°C, August 19; Jiangkou (China) max. 41.6°C, August 19; Dejiang (China) max. 39.6°C, August 19; Daozhen (China) max. 39.4°C, August 19; Huichuan (China) max. 37.7°C, August 19; Xifeng (China) max. 36.9°C, August 19; Qianxi (China) max. 36.8°C, August 19; Xishui (China) max. 36.5°C, August 19; Udang (China) max. 36.0°C, August 19; Yuan An (China) max. 41.6°C, August 19; Suizhou (China) max. 41.2°C, August 19; Jianshi (China) max. 40.8°C, August 19; Yiling (China) max. 40.7°C, August 19; Xianfeng (China) max. 37.7°C, August 19; Ninghai (China) max. 40.8°C, August 20; Putuo (China) max. 39.1°C, August 20; Suijiang (China) max. 41.4°C, August 20; Hejiang (China) max. 43.6°C, August 20; Yongshun (China) max. 41.3°C, August 20; Huayuan (China) max. 41.5°C, August 20; Bishan (China) max. 43.8°C, August 20; Pongan (China) max. 43.3°C, August 20; Lu (China) max. 43.1°C, August 20; Suining (China) max. 42.7°C, August 20; Xichong (China) max. 42.4°C, August 20; Langzhong (China) max. 42.3°C, August 20; Lezhi (China) max. 42.0°C, August 20; Muchuan (China) max. 41.9°C, August 20; Wangcang (China) max. 41.5°C, August 20; Pengxi (China) max. 41.5°C, August 20; Nanjiang (China) max. 41.2°C, August 20; Iken (China) max. 41.1°C, August 20; Guangyuan (China) max. 40.9°C, August 20; Xinjin (China) max. 40.2°C, August 20; Pengzhou (China) max. 38.6°C, August 20; Nanzheng (China) max. 40.0°C, August 20; Changde (China) max. 41.7°C, August 20; Tuanfeng (China) max. 40.6°C, August 20; Laifeng (China) max. 40.1°C, August 20; Songtao (China) max. 40.5°C, August 20; Nanxi (China) max. 42.3°C, August 21; Beixian (China) max. 39.6°C, August 21; Chenggu (China) max. 40.7°C, August 21; Lintan (China) max. 31.3°C, August 21; Wencheng (China) max. 42.0°C, August 21; Beichuan (China) max. 38.7°C, August 21; Dujiangyan (China) max. 37.9°C, August 21; Jiange (China) max. 39.7°C, August 21; Shiquan (China) max. 42.2°C, August 21; Yidu (China) max. 41.7°C, August 21; Gaoyang (China) max. 43.5°C, August 21; Zigong (China) max. 43.4°C, August 21; Jiangyang (China) max. 43.4°C, August 21; Zhongjiang (China) max. 43.0°C, August 21; Yingshan (China) max. 42.8°C, August 21; Deyang (China) max. 42.7°C, August 21; Shehong (China) max. 42.0°C, August 21; Ertai (China) max. 41.9°C, August 21; Jintang (China) max. 41.6°C, August 21; Jingyan (China) max. 41.6°C, August 21; Xindu (China) max. 41.2°C, August 21; Zitong (China) max. 41.2°C, August 21; Longquanyi (China) max. 41.2°C, August 21; Guanghan (China) max. 41.1°C, August 21; Anju (China) max. 40.8°C, August 21; Shuangliu (China) max. 40.2°C, August 21; Shifang (China) max. 39.7°C, August 21; Pidu (China) max. 39.6°C, August 21; Pujiang (China) max. 39.5°C, August 21; Qionglai (China) max. 39.5°C, August 21; Chengdu Wenjiang (China) max. 39.4°C, August 21; Yilong (China) max. 39.3°C, August 21; Chongzhou (China) max. 39.2°C, August 21; Dayi (China) max. 39.1°C, August 21; Xixiang (China) max. 42.2°C, August 21; Hanzhong (China) max. 40.4°C, August 21; Zhouqu (China) max. 39.5°C, August 21; Fuyuan (Taiwan) max. 41.6°C, August 21: New national record high for Taiwan; Rongchang (China) max. 42.6°C, August 22; Qingtian (China) max. 42.7°C, August 22; Fangxian (China) max. 42.8°C, August 22; Langao (China) max. 42.7 °C, August 22; Linzhi (China) max. 42.8°C, August 22; Gulin (China) max. 42.4°C, August 22; Beilun (China) max. 40.8°C, August 22; Nan An (China) max. 40.3°C, August 22; Changtai (China) max. 40.1°C, August 22; Mian (China) max. 39.7°C, August 22; Yunxi (China) max. 42.4°C, August 22; Ganluo (China) max. 41.3°C, August 22; Neijiang Dongxing (China) max. 43.8°C, August 23; Weiyuan (China) max. 43.1°C, August 23; Ziyang (China) max. 43.0°C, August 23; Zizhong (China) max. 42.9°C, August 23; Gaoping Nanchong (China) max. 42.8°C, August 23; Qianwei (China) max. 42.7°C, August 23; Longchang (China) max. 42.6°C, August 23; Pingchang (China) max. 42.6°C, August 23; Anyue (China) max. 42.3°C, August 23; Rongjiang (China) max. 42.0°C, August 23; Pengshan (China) max. 41.7°C, August 23; Meishan (China) max. 41.6°C, August 23; Emei (China) max. 41.4°C, August 23; Jiang An (China) max. 41.4°C, August 23; Qingshen (China) max. 41.3°C, August 23; Leshan (China) max. 41.3°C, August 23; Mianyang (China) max. 41.1°C, August 23; Jiajiang (China) max. 40.9°C, August 23; Ebian (China) max. 40.0°C, August 23; Jiangyou (China) max. 39.7°C, August 23; Mianzhou (China) max. 39.5°C, August 23; Hong Ya (China) max. 39.3°C, August 23; Dan Leng (China) max. 39.0°C, August 23; Heijiang (China) max. 43.4°C, August 23; Barkam (China) max. 36.3°C, August 23; Chishui (China) max. 43.5°C, August 23; Nayong (China) max. 34.3°C, August 23; Hua An (China) max. 39.8°C, August 23; Xiushui (China) max. 42.6°C, August 23; Jinchuan (China) max. 39.7°C, August 23; Honguan (China) max. 27.2°C, August 23; Ningqiang (China) max. 39.1°C, August 23; Liuyang (China) max. 40.8°C, August 23; Ji An (China) max. 41.1°C, August 23; Duchang (China) max. 41.0°C, August 23; Shangli (China) max. 40.9°C, August 23; Dean (China) max. 40.8°C, August 23; Jishui (China) max. 40.8°C, August 23; Wannian (China) max. 40.6°C, August 23; Anyi (China) max. 40.6°C, August 23; Poyang (China) max. 40.3°C, August 23; Fuliang (China) max. 40.1°C, August 23; Xunwu (China) max. 38.5°C, August 23; Nanling (China) max. 39.8°C, August 23; Pingyuan (China) max. 39.4°C, August 23; Wengyuan (China) max. 38.6°C, August 23; Yongan (China) max. 40.4°C, August 23; Zhangping (China) max. 40.2°C, August 23; Shanghang (China) max. 40.0°C, August 23; Longyan (China) max. 39.0°C, August 23; Wu Ping (China) max. 38.5 °C, August 23; Qu (China) max. 44.0°C, August 24; Fushan (China) max. 43.2°C, August 24; Yibin (China) max. 42.2°C, August 24; Dexing (China) max. 41.3°C, August 24; Nanfeng (China) max. 41.3°C, August 24; Yiyang (China) max. 41.5°C, August 24; Nankang (China) max. 41.7°C, August 24; Xingguo (China) max. 41.0°C, August 24; Huichang (China) max. 40.0°C, August 24; and Xiuwen (China) max. 34.1°C, August 24.
One nation set or tied an all-time reliably measured national heat record in August (Taiwan, which beat the record established just the previous month), bringing the total of such records to eight in 2022:
Paraguay: 45.6°C (114.1°F) at Sombrero Hovy, January 1; Australia: 50.7°C (123.3°F) at Onslow AP, January 13 (tie); Uruguay: 44.0°C (111.2°F) at Florida, January 14 (tie); Vatican City: 40.8°C (105.4°F), June 28; United Kingdom: 40.3°C (104.5°F) at Coningsby, July 19; Jersey (UK dependency): 37.9°C (100.2°F) at Mason St. Louis, July 18; Taiwan: 41.4°C (106.5°F) at Zhuoxi, July 22; beaten on August 21, with 41.6°C at Fuyuan; and Hong Kong: 39.0°C (102.2°F) at Sheng Shui, July 24 (tie). In addition, all-time heat records were set in July for all three of the Great Britain countries that are part of the United Kingdom:
England: 40.3 °C (104.5 °F) at Coningsby, July 19 Wales: 37.1 °C (98.8 °F) at Hawarden, July 18 Scotland: 34.8 °C (94.6 °F) at Charterhall, July 19
As of the end of August, two nations or territories had set or tied an all-time national cold record:
Montenegro: -33.4°C (-28.1°F) at Kosanica, January 25; and Myanmar: -6.0°C (21.2°F) at Hakha, January 29 (tie).
In addition to the eight all-time national/territorial records listed above (plus the double record set in Taiwan), 49 nations or territories have set monthly all-time heat records in 2022, for a total of 58 monthly all-time records:
– January (11): Mexico, USA, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Comoros, Mayotte, Maldives, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Montenegro; – February (2): Papua New Guinea, Pakistan; – March (3): Myanmar, Pakistan, Mauritius; – April (3): British Indian Ocean Territories, Hong Kong, Chad; – May (6): Chad, Morocco, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Vatican City, Mauritius; – June (13): Saba, Jersey, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic, Japan, Tunisia, Slovenia, Croatia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Slovakia; – July (6): New Caledonia, Andorra, Portugal, Ireland, Denmark, Paraguay; and – August (5): Cocos Islands, Iran, Qatar, Ireland, Saba.
In addition to the two all-time national/territorial records listed above, seven nations or territories have set monthly all-time cold records in 2022, for a total of nine monthly all-time records:
– March (2): Montenegro and Cyprus; – April (2): Andorra, Laos; – May (2): Vietnam, Thailand; and – July (1): Montenegro.
– Highest temperature ever recorded in January in North America: 41.7°C (107.1°F) at Gallinas, Mexico, January 1;
– Highest temperature ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere (tie) and world record for highest temperature ever recorded in January: 50.7°C (123.3°F) at Onslow AP, Australia, January 13;
– Highest minimum temperature ever recorded in South America: 32.2°C (90.0°F) at Pampa del Infierno, Argentina, January 17; and
– Highest minimum temperature ever recorded in January in the Northern Hemisphere: 29.3°C (84.7°F) at Kenieba, Mali, on January 15 (and again on January 30).
– Highest temperature ever recorded in August in Asia: 53.6°C (128.5°F) at Shush, Iran, on August 9.
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Jeff Masters, Ph.D., worked as a hurricane scientist with the NOAA Hurricane Hunters from 1986-1990. After a near-fatal flight into category 5 Hurricane Hugo, he left the Hurricane Hunters to pursue a... More by Jeff Masters
Bob Henson is a meteorologist and journalist based in Boulder, Colorado. He has written on weather and climate for the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Weather Underground, and many freelance... More by Bob Henson