EU and UN meteorological agencies say the three-month period through August this year was the hottest on record.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization said on Wednesday that the global average temperature for the June-to-August period this year stood at 16.77 degrees Celsius. That was the highest since comparable data became available in 1940.
They also said August 2023 was the second-hottest month, at an average of 16.82 degrees, following the record 16.95 degrees set the month before. The previous record was 16.63 degrees in July 2019.
Global sea surface temperatures averaged 20.98 degrees in August this year, also a record for all months. The previous record was logged in March 2016, and the temperatures usually reach their peak in that month of the year.
The EU agency commented, "The scientific evidence is overwhelming -- we will continue to see more climate records and more intense and frequent extreme weather events impacting society and ecosystems, until we stop emitting greenhouse gases."