Global temperatures over land and sea reached all-time highs in August, making it the hottest month ever recorded worldwide, Europe's climate monitor said on Thursday. The monitor warned that worse is likely to come as an unprecedented El Niño pattern continues to strengthen.
The record month capped an extreme summer of heatwaves and wildfires that ranked as the hottest on record for western Europe and the contiguous United States. The monitor did not name specific countries or regions beyond those areas in its initial assessment.
El Niño, a periodic warming of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, is known to raise global temperatures and disrupt weather patterns worldwide. The current pattern has been described as unprecedented in its strength and development, and its growing influence is expected to push temperatures higher in the months ahead.
For the Caribbean, the implications of a strengthening El Niño are closely watched. The phenomenon typically suppresses Atlantic hurricane activity but can bring drier conditions and higher temperatures to the region. Dominica and its neighbours in the Eastern Caribbean remain in the middle of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs until the end of November, and the Office of Disaster Management continues to urge residents to maintain vigilance and preparedness even as El Niño tends to reduce storm numbers.
The climate monitor's warning adds to a growing body of evidence that global heating is accelerating. Each successive month of record temperatures increases the strain on ecosystems, agriculture and public health, and small island developing states such as Dominica are among the most exposed to the consequences of a warming planet.
Officials have not yet indicated what specific measures, if any, will follow from the latest global assessment. The monitor said it would continue to track the El Niño pattern and release updated figures in the coming weeks.
