April was the 11th consecutive month experiencing record-breaking heat globally, with warmer weather already affecting Asia and a hotter-than-usual summer anticipated in Europe.
According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, last month’s worldwide 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 higher than pre-industrial temperatures, exceeding the 1.5°C threshold that policymakers and scientists say could threaten life on Earth.
“Whilst temperature variations associated with natural cycles like El Niño come and go, the extra energy trapped into the ocean and the atmosphere by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases will keep pushing the global temperature towards new records,” said Copernicus Director Carlo Buontempo in a statement.
Temperatures across Europe are expected to climb into the weekend with the U.K.’s Met Office forecasting highs of 26°C in parts of England. The Nordics are also warming up, with Oslo forecast to reach a high of 23°C on May 14, hotter than Madrid, according to Weather Services International.
High pressure will dominate for many this week, bringing more settled weather than of late 🌥️Temperatures will also rise, and by Saturday we could see a high of around 26 °C in the southeast, with several places reaching around 21 degrees further north too 🌡️📈 — Met Office (@metoffice)
The Copernicus program—the world’s biggest provider of climate data—uses billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world for its monthly and seasonal forecasts.
