Technologies

NASA Declares Summer 2023 the Hottest on Record

NASA calls out climate change as a culprit for a summer that eclipsed heat records dating back to 1880.

If this summer felt to you like a never-ending sweltering heat wave, then you’re not alone. The summer of 2023 was the hottest on record, NASA said Thursday. Experts with NASA’s
Goddard Institute of Space Studies said the heat was connected to human-caused climate change combined with a natural climate pattern called El Niño.

Global records date back to 1880. NASA data shows the combined months of June, July, and August were 0.41 degrees Fahrenheit (0.23 degrees Celsius) warmer than any summer on record. Compared with the average summer between 1951 and 1980, summer 2023 was 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit (1.2 Celsius) warmer. NASA considers June through August to be meteorological summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

«Summer 2023’s record-setting temperatures aren’t just a set of numbers — they result in dire real-world consequences,» said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. Nelson called out climate change as «a threat to our planet and future generations.»

NASA specifically cited human-caused greenhouse gas emissions as a driving force behind climate change and the global warming trend that led to such a scorching summer. Most of these greenhouse gas emissions come from China, the US and the countries of the European Union, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. Per capita, greenhouse gas emissions are highest in the US and Russia.

NASA gathers its surface air temperature data from thousands of meteorological stations around the world, including ones that are located at sea. The agency isn’t just looking at the raw heat numbers but instead calculates temperature anomalies, so it’s looking at how temperatures are different from previous averages.

What happened with temperatures out at sea is just as important as what people were experiencing on land. «Exceptionally high sea surface temperatures, fueled in part by the return of El Niño, were largely responsible for the summer’s record warmth,» said NASA JPL climate scientist Josh Willis.

El Niño is a recurring natural weather pattern of higher than normal surface temperatures in parts of the Pacific Ocean. El Niño exacerbated conditions over the summer, setting the stage for record-high heat.

Summer may be history for the Northern Hemisphere in 2023, but concerns remain for the future. More records could fall as the globe continues to warm.

«Unfortunately, climate change is happening. Things that we said would come to pass are coming to pass,» said GISS Director Gavin Schmidt. «And it will get worse if we continue to emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into our atmosphere.»

Technologies

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for May 20, #443

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 443 for May 20.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle reminds me that I haven’t had a meal in a fancy restaurant in some time. Maybe it’s time to make a reservation. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Oh, of course!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Elegant eats.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

SITE, FINE, SINE, DINE, PEAS, TEEN, PEER, STEEP, DEER, SEED, SEEN, POET, TREE, NOPE, SEES.

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

SOUP, SALAD, CHEESE, ENTREE, DESSERT, APPETIZERS

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is FINEDINING. To find it, start with the F that’s three letters down on the farthest row to the left, and wind across.

Toughest Strands puzzles

Here are some of the Strands topics I’ve found to be the toughest in recent weeks.

#1: Dated slang, Jan. 21. Maybe you didn’t even use this lingo when it was cool. Toughest word: PHAT.

#2: Thar she blows! Jan.15. I guess marine biologists might ace this one. Toughest word: BALEEN or RIGHT.

#3: Off the hook, Jan. 9. Similar to the Jan. 15 puzzle in that it helps to know a lot about sea creatures. Sorry, Charlie. Toughest word: BIGEYE or SKIPJACK

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for May 24, #713

Hints and answers for Connections for May 24, #713.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections puzzle has a fun variety of categories. The purple one appeals to my English major heart. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Goo-goo.

Green group hint: Not shirts.

Blue group hint: City that never sleeps.

Purple group hint: Acclaimed writers.