False claim temperatures in US were warmer in 1936 | Fact check
The claim: The US was 'much hotter' in 1936 than in 2023
A Sept. 26 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows two maps of the U.S. that highlight cities with purported temperatures over 100 and 110 degrees. The first map is labeled "1936" and has noticeably more cities marked as having temperatures over 100 and 110 degrees. The second map is labeled "2023."
The graphic is titled: "1936: Much hotter than 2023."
"Sometimes a little historical perspective helps," reads the post's caption. "Sometimes. At least for those with a brain."
The post was shared 25,000 times in six weeks.
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Our rating: False
The U.S. was hotter in 2023 than in 1936 as of the end of September, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data.
2023 hotter than 1936
The average U.S. temperature for January through September 2023 was about 57 degrees, according to NOAA data. The average temperature for that same timeframe in 1936 was 55.3 degrees − about 1.6 degrees cooler.
The average temperature for 1936 is even lower when all the months are included. The NOAA dataset did not yet include values for October 2023.
Global temperatures are rising because of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, such as CO2, in the atmosphere. This increase is caused by human behavior, such as deforestation and burning fossil fuels.
The average U.S. temperature for the period of January through September 2023 ranked 10th hottest for that timeframe since 1895, according to NOAA data. Eight of the 10 hottest years for that timeframe have occurred since 2000.
Globally, "there is a greater than 99% probability that 2023 will rank as the warmest year on record," NOAA reports.
However, even if 2023 had been a cooler year, that wouldn't mean global warming isn't occurring.
"Variability within the climate system can produce remarkable extremes associated with the happenstance of weather," Sean Birkel, the Maine state climatologist, previously told Paste BN.
"To identify climate trends it is necessary to examine long-term observational records, not just recent months or seasons," he said in a separate interview.
Fact check: Global warming happening despite 1913 Death Valley temperature record
Paste BN could not determine the source of the graphic in the post. The Facebook user did not respond when Paste BN asked about its origin.
PolitiFact also debunked the post.
Our fact-check sources:
- NOAA Climate at a Glance, accessed Nov. 5, National Time Series January to September 1895-2023
- NOAA Climate at a Glance, accessed Nov. 5, National Times Series January to December 1895-2022
- NOAA, Oct. 13, Topping the charts: September 2023 was Earth’s warmest September in 174-year record
- NASA Vital Signs of the Planet, accessed Nov. 5, Global temperature
- NASA Vital Signs of the Planet, accessed Nov. 5, Causes
- MIT Climate Portal, accessed Nov. 5, Forests and Climate Change
- Paste BN, Sept. 21, Global warming happening despite 1913 Death Valley temperature record | Fact check
- Paste BN, May 17, April 1895 v. April 2023 temperature comparison does not disprove climate change | Fact check
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