EU climate monitor reports third-warmest August globally

Global average surface air temperatures in August were 16.6 degrees Celsius, 0.49 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average.

BRUSSELS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Last month was the world's third-warmest August on record, while southwestern Europe endured its third major heatwave of the summer, fueling wildfires and highlighting the urgency of tackling climate change, the European Union's (EU) climate monitoring network said on Tuesday.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said that global average surface air temperatures in August were 16.6 degrees Celsius, 0.49 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average. The reading was 0.22 degrees Celsius lower than the record August temperatures of 2023 and 2024, but still 1.29 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels.

In Europe, western regions recorded the most pronounced above-average temperatures, with Spain, Portugal, and southwestern France particularly hard hit. Large swathes of northern Europe were cooler than average.

Sea surface temperatures averaged 20.82 degrees Celsius across latitudes from 60 degrees north to 60 degrees south, the third-highest August value on record. Parts of the North Pacific reached record highs, while the equatorial Pacific hovered near or below average.

"With the world's ocean also remaining unusually warm, these events underline not only the urgency of reducing emissions but also the critical need to adapt to more frequent and intense climate extremes," said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). ■