Summer 2024 was the Earth’s warmest on record, says Copernicus Climate Change Service.
The Summers also made the warmest across Europe at 1.54C above the 1991-2020 long term average, which exceeded the previous record from 2022.
Further, the month of August also became the 13th month in a 14-month period where the global average temperature exceeded 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
Temperatures continue to rise
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, says Copernicus, the EU’s climate service. It was only last year when global average temperatures reached a record high.
Copernicus deputy director Samantha Burgess says, “Temperature-related extreme events witnessed in these summers will only become more intense”.
Across Europe, temperature records have been smashed over the summer. Austria had their warmest season on record. Similarly, Spain also had its warmest August on record.
While heat across Europe was focused to southern and eastern areas, it has been cooler across the Republic of Ireland, the UK, western parts of Portugal, Iceland and southern Norway, says BBC in its story.
End of El Niño warming
The record heat in 2023 and 2024 has been boosted by the natural climate pattern of El Niño, while human activities have been the most significant cause of global temperature rise.
El Niño is a natural warming of sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific which was observed from June 2023 to May 2024. During this time, higher sea surface temperatures added more heat to the atmosphere.
While it has now ended, its part in boosting global temperature will have an influence on 2024 overall.