Global heatwave makes July hottest month ever recorded
Soaring global temperatures meant last month was the hottest ever recorded, weather experts have revealed.
Temperatures in July at least equalled, if not surpassed, the highest previously recorded, marking a continued rise in global temperatures over recent years.
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The data, published by the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Programme and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, comes after the warmest ever June on record.
Weather boffins said the extreme heat was particularly significant because the previous hottest July – in 2016 – came during one of the strongest occurrences of the El Nino phenomenon, which contributes to higher temperatures.
Unlike 2016, this year has not been marked by a strong El Nino.
“We have always lived through hot summers. But this is not the summer of our youth. This is not your grandfather’s summer,” said UN secretary general Antonio Guterres.
“All of this means that we are on track for the period from 2015 to 2019 to be the five hottest years on record.”
The data revealed July this year will be roughly 1.2 degrees warmer than the pre-industrial era.
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Extreme heat wreaked havoc across the UK last month, when Cambridge recorded the country’s highest-ever temperature.
Rail networks were thrown into chaos amid fears steel tracks could buckle in the heat, while flights from Gatwick and Heathrow were also disrupted.
Main image credit: Getty