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May marks 12th warmest month of record: EU climate monitor

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A kid refreshes himself at a fountain in Mexico City, Mexico, on May 15, 2024. According to the National Meteorological Service of Mexico, the new round of heat wave ends this week but temperatures will remain above 40 degrees Celsius in many states. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)

The global average surface air temperature for May 2024 was 0.65 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average, according to EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

BRUSSELS, June 5 (Xinhua) — Last month was the warmest May on record globally, marking the 12th consecutive month of record-high global average temperatures, the European Union’s (EU) climate monitoring network said on Wednesday.

Data from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) revealed that the global average surface air temperature for May 2024 was 0.65 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average.

“It is shocking but not surprising that we have reached this 12-month streak,” C3S Director Carlo Buontempo said in a statement.

He pointed out that although this sequence of record-breaking months will eventually end, the overall pattern of climate change continues, with no signs of reversal in sight.

A man cools off on the street during a heat wave in Lahore, Pakistan, May 22, 2024. The temperature is forecasted to reach 47 degrees Celsius here in the next few days. (Photo by Sajjad/Xinhua)

The global average temperature for May 2024 was 1.52 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average, marking the 11th consecutive month at or above 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to C3S data.

Wednesday’s data also showed that the global average temperature for the past 12 months has been the highest on record, standing at 0.75 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average and 1.63 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average. 

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