Climate monitor records hottest-ever day on July 21

The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported on Tuesday that it had registered its highest-ever global temperature on Sunday, July 21.

The average surface air temperature for the planet as a whole reached 17.09 degrees Celsius (62.76 degrees Fahrenheit), slightly higher than the 17.08 degrees that broke the same record last July.

The temperature registered by C3S is based on preliminary data.

July 2024 also marks the 13th month in a row that has been the hottest since records began, compared with the corresponding months in previous years.

Rising temperatures drive deadly heatwaves

The average global temperature for July 21 between 1991 and 2020 was 16.24 degrees.

Climate scientists have warned that 2024 may prove to be the hottest year on record, outranking 2023, which currently holds the title.

This is in part due to the effect of the El Nio weather phenomenon that increases global temperatures, exacerbating the impact of man-made climate change on heating up the planet.

Heatwaves have been scorching large parts of the United States, southern Europe and Russia in the past week. This year has also seen deadly heatwaves in India, China and South-East Asia.