Scorching heat and humidity across parts of the U.S. come as the release of the State of the Climate report for 2024 came out last Thursday, highlighting a record-breaking prior year around the world.

The year 2025 was the warmest on record for the heat content of the world’s oceans. Ocean heat content (OHC) increased by around 500 zettajoules – billion trillion joules – since the 1940s.

At the peak of the last ice age, the air was so cold and dry that it barely snowed. Sea level was 300 ft lower than today because the water was trapped in the thick sheets of ice that covered the ...