The first week of July was probably the hottest on record

“Preliminary data shows the world has just had its warmest week on record,” the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Monday. Record-breaking temperatures are being recorded on both land and oceans, with “potentially devastating consequences for ecosystems and the environment”.

“We are in uncharted territory,” said WMO Director of Climate Services Christopher Hewitt. More new records can be expected as the El Niño weather phenomenon develops, with effects through 2024. “This is worrying news for the planet,” the hottest since records began in 1940.

High water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean
It is feared that the high water temperatures in the North Atlantic will lead to extreme weather conditions in Europe. According to WMO data, surface temperatures in the North Atlantic in June were 0.9 degrees above the long-term average and in the northeast (roughly from Ireland to northern Spain) as much as 1.36 degrees. In June there were sea heat waves off the coast of Ireland with temperatures up to five degrees higher than the average of previous years before the temperature dropped again. According to the experts, the current extreme temperatures are not related to El Niño.

But the high ocean temperatures and dramatic reduction in Antarctic sea ice are deeply troubling, said Michael Sparrow, WMO’s director of climate research. The development in Antarctica is very new. “We don’t want to make assumptions without having all the evidence to hand, which could take some time,” Sparrow continued.