July the hottest month our planet has ever seen according to reports

Ocean temperatures also rose last month.

July was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, the European Union's climate observatory, Copernicus, has confirmed. "The month was 0.72C warmer than the 1991-2020 average for July," said the EU agency. "Heatwaves were experienced in multiple regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including southern Europe. Well-above average temperatures occurred over several South American countries and around much of Antarctica." Copernicus said that the global mean for 2023 is the "third highest on record" and temperatures for the remainder of the year are expected to remain high. "The global mean for 2023 is the third highest on record, at 0.43C relative to 1991-2020, compared with 0.49C for 2016 and 0.48C for 2020. The gap between 2023 and 2016 is expected to narrow in the coming months, as the latter months of 2016 were relatively cool... while the remainder of 2023 is expected to be relatively warm as the current El Nino event develops." https://twitter.com/CopernicusECMWF/status/1688828871347503104?s=20

Surface level of Earth's oceans rising

The agency also noted that the temperature of the oceans' surface rose to 20.96 degrees Celsius this month, breaking the record of 20.95C in March 2016. "We just witnessed global air temperatures and global ocean surface temperatures set new all-time records in July. These records have dire consequences for both people and the planet exposed to ever more frequent and intense extreme events," said Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service "2023 is currently the third warmest year to date at 0.43C above the recent average, with the average global temperature in July at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. "Even if this is only temporary, it shows the urgency for ambitious efforts to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, which are the main driver behind these records," she said. Last month, Greece was ravaged by forest fires. Reports suggested that around 19,000 people were evacuated by either land or sea from the affected areas of the Greek island of Rhodes. Irish holidaymakers were urged to seriously consider the risks of any upcoming trips to mainland Europe last month and beyond as the continent was gripped by the dangerous Cerberus heatwave. This article originally appeared on JOE  Header image via Getty READ ON: - Beautiful new tribute to Sinéad O'Connor appears at Bray head - New Netflix documentary is leaving viewers disgusted and putting them off food - Irish weather expert predicts sudden return of sunshine - with just one catch