July 21 marks the hottest day on record worldwide, according to a monitor

The Copernicus Climate Change Service of the European Union has released preliminary data showing that Sunday, July 21, was the hottest day ever recorded globally.

Sunday’s global average surface air temperature was 17.09 degrees Celsius (62.76 degrees Fahrenheit), which is somewhat higher than the previous record of 17.08 degrees Celsius (62.74 degrees Fahrenheit) established in July of last year.

Over the past week, heatwaves have burnt vast portions of Europe, Russia, and the United States.

Copernicus verified to Reuters that, according to their data dating back to 1940, the record daily temperature average established last year appears to have been surpassed on Sunday.

Four days in a row last year broke the record, from July 3 to July 6, as the Northern Hemisphere experienced unprecedented heat brought on by climate change brought on by the combustion of fossil fuels.

In comparison to the equivalent month in previous years, every month since June 2023—13 months in a row—has now ranked as the planet’s warmest since records began, according to Copernicus.

Given that temperatures have continued to rise this year due to climate change and the El Nino natural weather phenomena, which concluded in April, some scientists have predicted that 2024 may surpass 2023 as the warmest year ever recorded.