June 2024 has been identified as the warmest June ever recorded globally, according to data from Copernicus Climate Change Service, a scientific organisation under the EU space programme.
This marks a milestone in climate monitoring, with temperatures surpassing previous highs set just a year ago.
The ERA5 dataset used by Copernicus reveals that June 2024 had an average surface air temperature of 16.66°C, which is 0.67°C above the average for June from 1991 to 2020 and 0.14°C higher than the previous record set in June 2023.
This continues a trend where each month over the past year has consistently been at least 1.5°C warmer than the average temperatures recorded between 1850 and 1900, considered the pre-industrial benchmark.
Scientists have noted that the period from July 2023 to June 2024 has seen the highest average global temperatures on record, with an increase of 1.64°C compared to the pre-industrial era.
This marks thirteen consecutive months where each has set a new record for its respective month, reminiscent of a similar pattern observed during 2015/2016.
The impact of these rising temperatures has been felt worldwide, with Europe experiencing June 2024 as the joint-second warmest on record.
Significant temperature anomalies were noted across various regions, including southeastern Europe and Turkey showing the greatest deviations from average temperatures.
Outside of Europe, notable temperature increases were observed in eastern Canada, the western US, Mexico, Brazil, northern Siberia, the Middle East, northern Africa and western Antarctica.
Despite a developing La Niña event in the eastern equatorial Pacific, ocean temperatures remained unusually high in several areas, according to the Copernicus report.
Carlo Buontempo, Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said: “June marks the 13th consecutive month of record-breaking global temperatures and the 12th in a row above 1.5°C with respect to pre-industrial.
“This is more than a statistical oddity and it highlights a large and continuing shift in our climate.
“Even if this specific streak of extremes ends at some point, we are bound to see new records being broken as the climate continues to warm. This is inevitable unless we stop adding greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and the oceans.”
