A look at heat records that have been broken around the world

This year has already seen many heat records broken as the world grows hotter with more and more greenhouse gases added to the atmosphere.

For many places, the highest temperatures since record-keeping began have come in just the last 10 to 15 years. That’s the clearest possible sign that humans are altering the climate, said Randall Cerveny, a professor at Arizona State University.

Cerveny said temperatures in India, the Middle East, and the U.S. Southwest have been exceptionally hot in 2024.

Las Vegas recorded 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.0 degrees Celsius) on Sunday for the first time in history.

“It feels like the air is a blanket of just hotness that is enveloping you,” Cerveny said about that kind of heat. It’s life threatening and people are unprepared for it, he added.

Here is a look at some of the records that have been broken around the world this year. Even one tenth of one degree above a previous record is a meaningful increase, and these records were all broken by at least seven times that amount.

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

2024 record: 120.02 F (48.9 C)

Previous record: 117 F (47.2 C) set in 2017

Morrisville, North Carolina, United States

2024 record: 105.98 F (41.1 C)

Previous record: 105.08 F (40.6 C) set in 2012

Agness, Oregon, United States

2024 record: 114.98 F (46.1 C)

Previous record: 111.92 F (44.4 C) set in 1998

Palmdale, California, United States

2024 record: 114.98 F (46.1 C)

Previous record of 113 (45 C) set in 2007

Redding California, United States

2024 record: 118.94 F (48.3 C)

Previous record: 118.04 F (47.8 C) set in 1988

Las Trampas, California, United States

2024 record: 107.96 F (42.2 C)

Previous record: 105.98 (41.1 C) set in 2021

Aswan, Egypt

2024 record: 121.28 F (49.6 C)

Previous record: 120.02 (48.9 C) set in 1961

Geraldton, Australia

2024 record: 120.74 F (49.3 C)

Previous record: 117.86 F (47.7 C) set in 1954

Progreso, Mexico

2024 record: 111.56 F (44.2 C)

Previous record: 108.50 (42.5 C) set in 2023

Gaya, India

2024 record: 117.32 F (47.4 C)

Previous record: 116.60 F (47 C) set in 1978

Sikasso, Mali

2024 record: 116.24 F (46.8 C)

Previous record: 108.50 F (42.5 C) set in 2020

Vinh, Vietnam

2024 record: 109.22 F (42.9 C)

Previous record: 105.8 F (41 C) set in 2019

Mama, Russia

2024 record: 101.12 F (38.4 C)

Previous record: 99.86 F (37.7 C) set in 2017