Climate Alarmist Hype that May 2024 is the “Hottest” Global Average Temperature Anomaly is Meaningless in the U.S. and at other global locations around the World

Guest Essay by Larry Hamlin

The usual climate alarmists’ suspects are at it again trying to use the scientifically flawed claim that a single May 2024 global average temperature anomaly data point can characterize that the “world” must be the “hottest” it’s ever been as hyped below.

Alarmists also grossly misrepresent that the earth has exceeded a 1.5 degrees threshold temperature limit that is nothing but an arbitrary and purely politically contrived alarmist propaganda claim.

Of course, this purely politically contrived climate alarmist hype tells us absolutely nothing about the actual measured temperature anomalies or absolute temperatures at any specific location anywhere in the world.

NOAA data through May 2024 for the Contiguous U.S. (shown below) overwhelmingly establishes that the U.S. is not having the “hottest ever maximum temperature anomaly” this May nor, in fact, is the U.S. even experiencing any established increasing upward trend in maximum temperature anomaly values since at least the year 2005. 

Furthermore, the highest May maximum temperature anomaly in the Contiguous U.S. occurred in May 1934 as shown below at 5.66 degrees F versus 1.22 degrees F (shown in red highlights above) in May 2024.

There isn’t a shred of scientific evidence that the U.S. maximum temperature anomalies or maximum absolute temperatures (addressed below) are at all unusual. 

Looking at NOAA ‘s maximum temperatures for the Contiguous U.S. (shown below) we see that May 2024 was only the 106^th highest May (at 74.68 degrees F highlighted in red) out of 130 total measurement months with the highest May ever measured occurring in 1934 at 79.21 degrees F.  May 2024

Looking at NOAA’s data for the maximum measured temperature in California (shown below) we see that May 2024 was only the 96^th highest measured May (at 76.8 degrees F as highlighted in red below) out of a total of 130 measurements with May 2001 being the highest ever California maximum (at 83.8 degrees F) measured temperature.  

Looking at NOAA’s data for the maximum temperature measured in May 2024 for Los Angeles (shown below) we see this month is only the 38^th highest measured May (at 66.4 degrees F highlighted in red) out of 80 May measurement values. The highest maximum May temperature in Los Angeles was in May 2014 at 75.8 degrees F. 

Climate alarmists conceal the lack of validity in their use of a single global average temperature anomaly value to falsely hype that the world is the “hottest” ever when, in fact, this climate alarmist propaganda claim applies to no specific location anywhere on earth including the Contiguous U.S. or the state of California or the city of Los Angeles or other global locations.