Many prominent media corporations have propagated the notion that the three days from July 3-5 constituted the most intense heat wave ever recorded, alluding to data provided by the University of Maine.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has cautioned that this tool may not be as reliable as traditional data collection methods.
Respected outlets like Fortune, The New York Times, CBS News, and Axios each leaned on the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer in their publications to bolster the claim that the world’s temperatures this week shattered the former record for the warmest three-day period.
The NOAA expressed uncertainty over the findings of the Reanalyzer, pointing out that the data it generates may not accurately represent actual surface temperatures and climate records, according to NOAA Director of Strategic Communications, Lori Arguelles, in a statement issued to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Axios’ headline boldly declared, “Earth witnesses three hottest days on record,” The Times stated in its Thursday article, “The past three days have quite likely been the hottest in Earth’s recent history.”
During a broadcast segment, CBS News displayed a chyron that read, “Earth experiences third consecutive hottest day on record.”
In contrast, Fortune’s Thursday headline commenced with “Earth reaches record heat third day running.”
Arguelles, in her communication to the DCNF, added, “While NOAA cannot endorse the approach or conclusion of the University of Maine’s analysis, we acknowledge that we are in a warming period attributable to climate change, and when combined with El Niño and the intense summer conditions, we’re observing record-breaking surface temperatures being reported in numerous locations worldwide.”
According to The Reanalyzer website, the observational data is obtained from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP).
The Reanalyzer’s records indicate that this week was the warmest it has ever documented.
The NCEP is an integral part of the National Weather Service, a subsidiary of NOAA, as detailed on the National Weather Service’s website.
Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, commenting on the escalating heat, stated, “The current scenario underlines the fact that climate change is spiraling out of control,” as reported by The Guardian.
“If we continue to procrastinate on implementing vital measures, I fear we’re heading towards a disaster, as the latest temperature records clearly show.”
