Here’s how 2023 became the hottest year on record

The year was marked by record-high temperatures, record-low Antarctic sea ice and wildfires

A closeup of a man splashing water on his face

A person tries to cool off with a splash of water on July 16 in Phoenix, amid a 31-day streak of daytime temperatures in the city reaching at least 43° Celsius (110° Fahrenheit).

Brandon Bell/Getty Images News

This year didn’t just shatter records. It changed the scales.