July Fourth marked Earth’s hottest day on record

The Fourth of July marked the Earth’s hottest day on record, according to the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute.

The worldwide average temperature on Tuesday hit 62.92 degrees Fahrenheit, the institute found using data from 1979 onwards from the U.S. National Centers for Climate Prediction.

This surpassed Monday’s record-breaking temperature of 62.62 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to The Washington Post’s heat index forecast, 57 million people across the U.S. were expected to be exposed to dangerous heat Tuesday.

Texas faced a weekslong scorching heat wave last month that produced several record-breaking temperatures throughout the state.

The heat wave spread to several other southern states last week, before ultimately subsiding. 

Still, the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said in a post that excessive heat warnings and advisories remain in effect throughout the interior Pacific Northwest and Southwest, with temperatures reaching “peak intensity” on Wednesday.