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Journalism of Courage
The World’s Record Heat Waves: Climate change is real. There is clear and undeniable evidence that unprecedented warming of the Earth has resulted in more frequent, intense, and widespread heat waves globally.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) reported 2024 as the hottest year on record, with average annual global temperatures, was approximately 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels, noting the first time in history that the global mean temperature has exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the average from 1850 to 1900.
Consequently, the year 2024 currently surpasses 2023 as the warmest year ever recorded. 2023 was recorded to be 1.45 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times, IMO reported.
Furthermore, according to the Copernicus Earth Observation Programme, the highest recorded global average daily temperature was 17.16°C on July 22, 2024, with NASA suggesting “there is unequivocal evidence that Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate.”
According to Statista, South Asia, which is known for its scorching summers, experienced an unusual heatwave, with temperatures reaching 50°C in Shaheed Benazirabad, Pakistan, and 44°C in Jaipur, India in April.
Meanwhile, some of the most unprecedented heatwaves were experienced in Asian countries, like Myanmar (48.2°C) and Cambodia (42.8°C) in 2024, Vietnam (44.2°C) in 2023 and Japan (41.1°C) in 2020.
In a notable mention, the coldest continent on Earth, Antarctica, set a record in 2020, with summer temperatures at the Esperanza base surpassing 18°C.
The WMO reports that at the national level, several countries have surpassed heat records in the last six years, although the highest temperature ever officially recorded worldwide was 56.7°C in Death Valley, California, in 1913.
| Rank | Country | Year | Temperature (°C / °F) |
| 1 | Mexico | 2024 | 51.9 °C / 125.4 °F |
| 2 | Australia | 2022 | 50.7 °C / 123.3 °F |
| 3 | Canada | 2021 | 49.6 °C / 121.3 °F |
| 4 | Turkey | 2023 | 49.5 °C / 121.1 °F |
| 5 | Italy | 2021 | 48.8 °C / 119.8 °F |
| 6 | Mali | 2024 | 48.5 °C / 119.3 °F |
| 7 | Myanmar | 2024 | 48.2 °C / 118.8 °F |
| 8 | Spain | 2021 | 47.6 °C / 117.7 °F |
| 9 | France | 2019 | 46.0 °C / 114.8 °F |
| 10 | Brazil | 2023 | 44.8 °C / 112.6 °F |
Source: Statista Research and World Meteorological Organisation | Data as of: April 30, 2025
