Copernicus: Last September Was the Second Warmest September on Record

Last September was the second-warmest September on record globally, with an average temperature of 16.27 degrees Celsius, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Copernicus said on Monday that last month also marked the second consecutive month this year in which global temperatures exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

For Western Europe, it was the warmest September on record, while for Europe as a whole, it was the third-warmest September.

Last September recorded record warmth in Western Europe, tying with the highest levels in history, while ranking as the third-hottest September across the European continent as a whole.

Prolonged droughts led to record-low river flows in parts of the Rhine, Danube, Vistula, and Garonne-Dordogne rivers during September. Copernicus reported that this sharp decline caused widespread disruptions to navigation, water supplies, and the agricultural sector in several countries.

At the same time, the extent of sea ice surrounding Antarctica fell to its third-lowest level on record during the peak of the annual winter accumulation.

Copernicus Director Carlo Buontempo said that “exceptionally high temperatures” were again recorded across parts of Europe following an extremely hot summer.

He added: “We are witnessing a new series of months in which temperatures exceed the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold, and with the ongoing intensification of a strong El Niño, this situation is likely to continue until 2027.”

Buontempo said that breaching the 1.5-degree Celsius target set by the Paris Climate Agreement was “only a matter of time.”

In 2015, 195 parties to the legally binding Paris Agreement on climate change adopted the accord, aiming to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, with efforts to restrict it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.