HOT SEPTEMPER
Last month was the warmest world has ever seen
SCIENTISTS have revealed last month was the world’s hottest September on record.
Surface air temperatures were 0.05C warmer than in 2019, making it the hottest September globally since records began, according to experts from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
It was also the hottest September Europe has seen, beating the previous record for the continent set in 2018 by about 0.2C.
Temperatures were well above average in other parts of the world, including the Middle East, in parts of South America and Australia.
The Siberian Arctic was also warmer than average, continuing a hot spell that has affected parts of the region since early spring.
Monitoring by C3S also confirmed that the average Arctic sea ice extent for September – the month when it is at its lowest after the summer melt before refreezing in winter – was the second lowest recorded for the month, after 2012.
C3S produces computergenerated analyses using billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world.
Carlo Buontempo, director of the service, said: “There was an unusually rapid decline in Arctic sea ice extent during June and July, in the same region where above average temperatures were recorded.
“The combination of record temperatures and low Arctic sea ice in 2020 highlight the importance of improved and more comprehensive monitoring in a region warming faster than anywhere else in the world.”