Ground temperatures across large parts of the ice sheets of Antarctica soared by an average of 10°C above normal during July 2024. On some days, temperatures climbed to an astonishing 28°C above expected levels. Climate scientists describe this as a near record heatwave. It is the second heatwave to strike Antarctica in the past two years. The last one, occurring in March 2022, led to a "spike" of 39°C, and caused a sizeable portion of the ice sheet to collapse.

7th August 2024

Antarctica’s heatwave has been one of the main contributors to the sudden rise in global temperatures in June and July 2024, culminating in the warmest day in human history. On 22nd July, the daily global average temperature reached a new record high of 17.16°C. This exceeds the previous records of 17.09°C, set just one day earlier, on 21st July, and, before that, 17.08°C, set a year earlier on 6th July 2023.

​​​​​​​Climate scientists note that there has been a marked difference between temperatures since July 2023, and every previous year. Before that month, the record was 16.8°C, set on 13th August 2016. But between 3rd July 2023 and 23rd July 2024, 16.8°C was exceeded on 59 days.

The global average temperature tends to reach its annual peak between late June and early August of each year. This coincides with the northern hemisphere summer. It is the seasonal pattern of the northern, rather than the southern, hemisphere, that drives overall global temperatures. This is because the large land masses of the northern hemisphere (far greater in size than those of the southern hemisphere) warm up faster than the oceans of the southern hemisphere can cool down during the northern summer months.
​​​​​​​