BRUSSELS, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The past month was the second-warmest September on record globally and in Europe, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Tuesday.
"September 2024 was the second-warmest September globally, after September 2023," the agency said in a press release, adding that the average surface air temperature was 16.17 degrees Celsius, 0.73 degree above the 1991-2020 September average.
It said the global average temperature from January to September 2024 was the highest on record for this period, 0.19 degree higher than the same period last year, suggesting that 2024 is almost certain to become the warmest year on record.
In Europe, temperatures were most above average in eastern and northeastern regions, while globally, the largest anomalies were observed in Canada, the central and western United States, South America, northeast Africa, Japan, and China, it added.
"The extreme rainfall events of this month have been made worse by a warmer atmosphere, leading to more intense rainfall with months' worth of rain falling in just a few days," C3S Deputy Director Samantha Burgess said, adding that the risk of extreme rainfall will continue to increase with rising temperatures. "The sooner we reach NetZero emissions, the sooner we can mitigate this risk."
Devastating floods have recently claimed at least 20 lives in India and Bangladesh, while similar flooding last week killed at least 20 in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Copernicus is a component of the European Union's (EU) space program, coordinated and managed by the European Commission in partnership with EU member states. ■
