September 2023 was the hottest ever by an "extraordinary amount," EU weather service says

London – September 2023 was the hottest September ever recorded, according to a report from a European climate change watchdog. The Copernicus Climate Change Service said this September saw an average global surface air temperature of 61.5 degrees Fahrenheit - that's 1.69 degrees above the 1991-2020 average for September and .92°F above the temperature of the previous warmest September, recorded in 2020.

"The unprecedented temperatures for the time of year observed in September - following a record summer - have broken records by an extraordinary amount," Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said in a statement.

The report said September was "the most anomalous warm month" of any year in its dataset, going back to 1940.

"We've been through the most incredible September ever from a climate point of view. It's just beyond belief," Copernicus Climate Change Service director Carlo Buontempo told the AFP news agency. "Climate change is not something that will happen 10 years from now. Climate change is here."

The report said 2023 was on course to be the hottest year ever recorded.

"This extreme month has pushed 2023 into the dubious honor of first place… Two months out from COP28 – the sense of urgency for ambitious climate action has never been more critical," Burgess said.

• What to know about COP27 as the climate summit convenes in Egypt

Earlier this year, the United Nations, citing data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said the Earth had seen the hottest summer on record in 2023 after temperature records were shattered around the world.

"Climate breakdown has begun," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement in August. "Scientists have long warned what our fossil fuel addiction will unleash. Surging temperatures demand a surge in action. Leaders must turn up the heat now for climate solutions. We can still avoid the worst of climate chaos – and we don't have a moment to lose."

Haley Ott

Haley Ott is an international reporter for CBS News based in London.

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