As the calendar flips to December, most El Paso trees are still holding their leaves – the result of the warmest autumn on record following a record-hot summer.

El Paso’s average monthly temperature has been at least 3 degrees above the 1991-2020 normal temperatures every month since July. El Paso has never seen this kind of sustained heat, further evidence of the impact of climate change and urban heat island effects on the region.

On the heels of the hottest summer ever recorded in El Paso (defined by meteorologists as June-August), El Paso set a record for warmest fall ever (September-November).

With the hottest summer and fall ever recorded, El Paso obviously is on track to set a record for the warmest year on record. The hottest year recorded to date was 2017. El Paso will break that record this year even if December temperatures are 2 degrees colder than the 1991-2020 average for the month. El Paso temperatures have been above the monthly average 10 out of 11 months so far in 2023.

Update 6:20 p.m. Nov. 30: This story has been updated with final data for November.

Correction: A chart in an earlier version of this story included incorrect average monthly temperatures for El Paso.