Climate scientists: July 4 was hottest ever for average global temperature

July 5 (UPI) -- Climate scientists at the University of Maine have recorded the hottest day ever for the world's average temperature, which eclipsed 62 degrees twice during the long July Fourth holiday.

The Climate Change Institute's Climate Reanalyzer, which scientists have used since 1979 to analyze world temperatures, showed the average worldwide temperature rose to a record 62.92 degrees on Tuesday after a record had been set just a day earlier at 62.62 degrees on Monday.

"Monday, July 3 was the hottest day ever recorded on Planet Earth. A record that lasted until ... Tuesday, July 4," Bill McGuire, a climate professor at University College London, wrote on Twitter. "Totally unprecedented and terrifying."

The previous record for the average global temperature was 62.46 degrees in 2016, which remains the warmest year on record, researchers said.

While the average temperature seemed relatively balmy, extreme temperatures were felt worldwide, including in the United States, where tens of millions in Texas and other Southern states have faced a sweltering heatwave in recent days.

Extreme heat advisories also remained in effect Wednesday across the Pacific Northwest and Southwest, with temperatures expected to reach "peak intensity," according to the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center.

Meteorologists have warned that an El Nino event was likely to prolong extreme temperatures into the coming months, raising the potential for even more heat records.

The climate data comes as multiple nations continue to grapple with repeated environmental emergencies fueled by the climate crisis.

Efforts to curtail global warming have gained steam worldwide, with numerous climate summits and U.S. President Joe Biden laying out a national strategy to confront climate change, including billions of dollars in government investments to help the cause.