OCTOBER was the hottest on record globally, 1.7°C (3.1°F) warmer than the pre-industrial average for the month, according to figures published today by the European Union’s climate agency.

Last month was a massive 0.4°C (0.7°F) warmer than the previous record for the month, set in 2019, which surprised even Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, which publishes monthly bulletins of global surface air and sea temperatures, among other data.

Ms Burgess said: “The amount that we’re smashing records by is shocking.”