Last month was the hottest October on record globally, climate data from the European climate agency shows.
It was 1.7 degrees Celsius (3.1 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than the pre-industrial average for the month of October.
October was the fifth straight month with record temperatures.
That will almost certainly see 2023 become the hottest full year ever on record, says Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
The climate agency records and publishes monthly air and sea temperatures, along with other climate data.
“The amount that we’re smashing records by is shocking,” Burgess said.
This summer has seen devastating wildfires in Hawaii, Canada and across southern Europe.
“This climate data is a clear sign that we are going into a climate regime that will have more impact on more people,” said Peter Schlosser, VP of the Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.
