Dominican Republic suffered from the hottest last 12 months on Earth

Santo Domingo.- A recent study by Climate Central reveals that the Earth has just experienced its hottest 12-month streak from November 2022 to October 2023. The analysis uses the Climate Change Index to assess how human-caused climate change has influenced temperatures in 175 countries and 920 cities.

During these 12 months, the global average temperature was found to be 1.3°C higher than pre-industrial levels. The study notes that 90% of the world’s population, equivalent to 7.3 billion people, experienced at least 10 days of temperatures strongly affected by climate change during this period. Furthermore, 73% (5.8 billion) experienced more than a month of such temperatures, and 1.9 billion people (one in four) endured a period of extreme heat lasting at least five days.

Regarding cities with at least 1 million inhabitants, Santo Domingo and Santiago, the two largest cities in the Dominican Republic, experienced the greatest number of days with extreme heat (above the local 99th percentile). Santo Domingo had 79 such days, while Santiago had 56 days, tying with Houston, Texas.

Despite the official end of summer in September, high temperatures continue to affect the Dominican Republic. NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies reported that the summer of 2023 was the hottest on record since global temperature records began in 1880. The months of June, July, and August combined were 0.23 degrees Celsius warmer than any previous summer recorded by NASA.

In the Dominican Republic, maximum temperatures in 2023 reached 39.2°C in Jimaní in July, 38.6°C in Montecristi in July, 38°C in Barahona in July, and 38°C in Puerto Plata in July. In June, the highest temperature recorded was 38.5°C in Montecristi, 38°C in Jimaní, and 38°C in Puerto Plata.

These findings highlight the ongoing impact of climate change on global temperatures and the need for concerted efforts to address the issue.