Unprecedented number of heat records broken around world this year

In 2024, 15 national temperature records have been set as weather extremes grow more frequent, climate historian says

record 15 national heat records have been broken since the start of this year. File picture: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

A record 15 national heat records have been broken since the start of this year, an influential climate historian has told the Guardian, as weather extremes grow more frequent and climate breakdown intensifies.

An additional 130 monthly national temperature records have also been broken, along with tens of thousands of local highs registered at monitoring stations from the Arctic to the South Pacific, according to Maximiliano Herrera, who keeps an archive of extreme events.