According to the United Nations World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), both land and sea surface temperatures were the highest yet recorded last month, 0.95 degrees Celsius above the global average, making last June the hottest on record.
These unprecedented temperatures, which surpassed previous highs in June 2016, happened across central and eastern Europe, northern Russia, Asia, Africa, South America, the north Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
Using global data, WMO also says that nine of the 10 warmest Junes have occurred since 2010.
The impacts of these high temperatures include wildfires in the Arctic Circle and unprecedented shrinking sea ice, the UN agency said.
At the same time pointing out that the northern-most permanent settlement on Earth, which is called Alert, in Canada, reached 21°C for the first time in recorded history this week.
The temperature record was endorsed by other meteorological organisations including United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which said the average temperature worldwide was 16.4°C.
NOAA said the average global temperature was 0.95°C warmer than the 20th Century average.
The heat was most notable in parts of Europe, Russia, Canada and South America, it said.
The NOAA report was released as the US prepared for a “dangerous heatwave”.
In its latest monthly global climate report, NOAA said the heat in June had brought Antarctic sea ice coverage to a record low.
Nine of the 10 hottest Junes on its 1880-2019 record have occurred in the past nine years, it said.
Scientists have warned that record-setting temperatures will continue as a result of climate change.
“Earth is running a fever that won’t break thanks to climate change,” climatologist Dr Kathie Dello told the Associated Press news agency.
“This won’t be the last record warm summer month that we will see.”
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