Earth has had the hottest three-month period on record, with unprecedented sea surface temperatures and extreme weather, according to the UN weather agency.
Antarctic sea ice extent remains at a record low for the time of year, the Copernicus Climate Change Service has found.
It was the hottest August on record – by a large margin – and the second hottest ever month after July 2023.
Scotland saw its hottest temperature on record, with the mercury reaching 35.1C at Floors Castle in the Borders in July.
August as a whole is estimated to have been around 1.5C warmer than the preindustrial average for 1850-1900, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
The year so far (January to August) is the second warmest on record behind 2016, when there was a powerful warming El Nino event.
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