Record ocean warmth observed amid summer heat wave

This summer continues to shatter records both on land and sea. July likely observed the hottest recorded week in history as heat waves bring exceptionally abnormal conditions. This warmth is also being felt in the world's oceans, as the Atlantic is currently undergoing a never-before-seen heat wave.

On Tuesday, sea surface temperatures off the coast of southern Florida potentially broke the all-time global ocean temperature record as Manatee Bay recorded a water temperature of 101.1°F. Ocean temperature records are somewhat incomplete, though this isn't the only sign of the extreme heat this summer.

The North Atlantic is also extraordinarily above-average, trending 1.6°F warmer than average in June. This shattered the previous record of the warmest June by nearly a degree, and while these numbers seem small they have large impacts. A single degree change in water temperature can increase hurricane wind speeds by 15-20 degrees, and the Atlantic hurricane season doesn't peak until late August.