Summer 2024 was world’s warmest on record

So far this year the global average temperature has been 0.7C above the 1991-2020 average, which is the highest on record.

It is therefore increasingly likely that 2024 will be the warmest year on record globally, according to Copernicus, external, the EU’s climate service.

It was only last year when global average temperatures reached a record high.

Throughout the world we have seen heatwaves and extreme weather having impacts.

Copernicus deputy director Samantha Burgess said: “Temperature-related extreme events witnessed this summer will only become more intense”.

Across Europe, temperature records have been broken over the summer. Austria had their warmest on record.

Spain had its warmest August on record, Finland its joint warmest and Switzerland second warmest.

While the heat across Europe was focused to southern and eastern areas, it was cooler across the Republic of Ireland, the UK, western parts of Portugal, Iceland and southern Norway.