World just had 'hottest week on record,' says World Meteorological Organization

LONDON

The world just had the hottest week on record, according to preliminary data from the World Meteorological Organization on Thursday.

The average global temperature on July 7 was 17C (63F), which is 0.3C above the previous record of 16C (62F) on Aug. 16, 2016 – a strong El Niño year.

"The exceptional warmth in June and at the start of July occurred at the onset of the development of El Niño, which is expected to further fuel the heat both on land and in the oceans and lead to more extreme temperatures and marine heat waves," said Christopher Hewitt, WMO director of climate services.

"We are in uncharted territory and we can expect more records to fall as El Niño develops further and these impacts will extend into 2024," he said. "This is worrying news for the planet," he said.

Global sea surface temperatures were also at record levels both this May and June.

This comes with a cost, according to the UN agency. "It will impact fisheries distribution and the ocean circulation in general, with knock-on effects on the climate. It is not only the surface temperature, but the whole ocean is becoming warmer and absorbing energy that will remain there for hundreds of years," it said.