AApril was the 11th consecutive month of record heat on Earth, with warmer weather already sweeping across Asia and a hotter-than-normal summer expected in Europe.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said last month’s global temperatures were 1.58°C (2.8°F) above historical averages and marked the hottest April on record. The past 12 months have been 1.61°C warmer than pre-industrial temperatures, exceeding the 1.5°C threshold that policymakers and scientists say could threaten life on the planet.
“Although temperature variations associated with natural cycles like El Niño come and go, the extra energy trapped in the ocean and atmosphere through rising greenhouse gas concentrations will continue to push global temperatures to new records,” he said. Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo in a statement. .
Temperatures across Europe are expected to rise over the weekend, with the UK Met Office predicting highs of 26C in parts of England. Nordic countries are also warming, with Oslo forecast to reach a maximum of 23°C on May 14, hotter than Madrid, according to Weather Services International.
The Copernicus program – the world’s largest provider of climate data – uses billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world for its monthly and seasonal forecasts.
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