2023-10-06 15:50:40
September 2023 was the warmest on record globally, with an average surface air temperature of 16.38°C, 0.93°C above the September average for the period between 1991 and 2020 and 0.5°C above the temperature of 2020, the previous warmest September. This is what the Copernicus Climate Change Service – C3S reports, implemented by the European Center for Medium-Term Weather Forecasts on behalf of the European Commission with EU funding.
The month of September 2023 – warns C3S – was the most unusually warm month of all years in the Era5 dataset (starting from 1940): overall it was warmer by about 1.75°C compared to the average of September of the period between 1850 and 1900, the pre-industrial reference period. The global temperature for January to September 2023 was 0.52°C above average and 0.05°C above the equivalent period of the warmest calendar year (2016). For the period January-September 2023, the global average temperature was 1.40°C higher than the pre-industrial average (1850-1900). For Europe, September 2023 was the warmest September on record, with 2.51°C warmer than the average for the years between 1991 and 2020 and 1.1°C warmer than 2020, the previous warmest September. The average sea surface temperature for the month of September, above 60°S-60°N, reached 20.92°C, the highest on record for the month of September and the second highest of every month after August 2023. El Niño conditions continued to develop over the equatorial eastern Pacific.
“The unprecedented temperatures observed in September, after a record summer, broke records to an extraordinary extent. This extreme month pushed the year 2023 into the dubious distinction of being the warmest year and exceeding by approximately 1, Average pre-industrial temperatures were 4°C. With 2 months to go until COP28, the sense of urgency for ambitious climate action has never been more critical,” says Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Antarctic sea ice extent remained at a record low for this time of year. In September, both daily and monthly extent reached the lowest annual highs recorded by satellites, with monthly extent 9% below average. Daily Arctic sea ice extent reached its 6th annual low, while monthly extent ranked 5th, 18% below average.
September 2023 saw wetter than average conditions along many parts of Europe’s western coast, including western Iberia, Ireland, northern Britain and Scandinavia. Following the extreme rainfall associated with Storm Daniel, rainfall in Greece was also above average; this event was also responsible for the devastating floods in Libya. Southern Brazil and southern Chile also recorded extreme precipitation events. Drier-than-average regions included parts of Europe, the southeastern United States, Mexico, central Asia and Australia, with the driest September on record.
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