California's Record Heat: A Deep Dive Into The Unprecedented July Of 2024

The month of July 2024 stands as a stark reminder of the escalating climate crisis, as California experienced its hottest month on record. With temperatures soaring to unprecedented levels, the state faced not only extreme heat but also devastating wildfires that swept across various regions. This intense heat wave prompted utility officials to initiate planned power shutoffs to prevent catastrophic fire outbreaks, indicating the severity of the situation.

The extreme weather event began with a forecast warning of a rare long-duration heat event that would bring triple-digit temperatures across much of California. As the days progressed, the heat proved relentless, with records being shattered statewide, including Palm Springs reaching an all-time high of 124 degrees on July 5. These alarming statistics highlight not only the immediate dangers posed by such heat but also the long-term implications for the environment and public safety.

As we explore the details of this intense heat wave and its consequences, it becomes evident that climate change is not just a distant threat but an immediate reality affecting millions. The historic heat of July 2024 is a critical point of discussion among scientists and meteorologists, as it raises important questions about our future and the urgent need for action against climate change.

Globally, July also saw two of the hottest days in recorded history, hitting an average surface temperature of 17.15 degrees Celsius, or 62.87 degrees Fahrenheit, on both July 22 and 23, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Interestingly, for the first time in 13 months, global temperatures did not set a new record high for the respective month, with the average temperature for July coming in approximately 0.04 degrees Celsius behind the record from July 2023. However, July 2024 still became the second-warmest month globally on record.

“The streak of record-breaking months has come to an end, but only by a whisker,” Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said in a statement. “The overall context hasn’t changed; our climate continues to warm. The devastating effects of climate change started well before 2023 and will continue until global greenhouse gas emissions reach net-zero.”

Halfway through the year, the world’s temperatures would need to fall drastically to not become — once again — the warmest year on record, the climate agency reported. In California and the West, NOAA officials warned that the region is favored to again see above-average temperatures in August, with “significant wildland fire potential,” according to the agency’s climate report released Thursday.

It remains to be seen if August could rival the early-July prolonged heat wave, which proved a main factor in shattering California’s monthly heat records, as well as several other records across the state. “We’ve had heat waves before that were maybe a week or so, but this one was just so persistent,” said Andrew Gorelow, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Las Vegas, which provides forecasts for much of southeastern California.

Death Valley, the national park known for its sweltering temperatures, also recorded its hottest month on record, with average high temperatures hitting 121.9 degrees, according to park officials. Temperatures reached at least 120 degrees on all but seven days in the month, and the hottest day, July 7, hit 129 degrees. “Six of the 10 hottest summers have come in the last 10 years, which should serve as a wake-up call,” Mike Reynolds, Death Valley National Park superintendent, said in a statement. “Record-breaking months like this one could become the norm as we continue to see global temperatures rise.”

The historic month saw a variety of new records across California:

• In Los Angeles County, both Lancaster and Palmdale set a record for the most consecutive days over 100 degrees — 25 in a row, from July 2 to 26, beating the prior record of 23 days, according to the National Weather Service.
• July was also both Lancaster and Palmdale’s hottest month on record. Lancaster had an average high of 104.9 degrees, 2 degrees higher than the record set in August 2022. Palmdale’s July average temperature was 105.4 degrees, also 2 degrees higher than the record set in July 1961.
• Sanberg, in the Los Angeles County mountains, hit its hottest month on record, with an average monthly temperature of 93.5 degrees. The prior record was 92.5 degrees, set in July 2021.
• Palm Springs, which hit its hottest day in history, also had its hottest month, with an average high of 114.9 degrees — beating the record from last July.
• In the Central Valley, Merced, Madera, Fresno and Bakersfield also recorded their hottest month in known history, with average temperatures breaking records set from 1931 to 2021, according to the National Weather Service.
• Several regions in the Sacramento Valley, including Red Bluff, Redding and Modesto, hit their hottest July on record this year, according to the National Weather Service.

Times staff writer Hayley Smith contributed to this report.