ISTANBUL

The world on Sunday, July 21, witnessed its hottest day ever on record, according to a preliminary data from the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, which has monitored such weather patterns since 1940. 

"What is truly staggering is how large the difference is between the temperature of the last 13 months and the previous temperature records. We are now in truly uncharted territory and as the climate keeps warming, we are bound to see new records being broken in future months and years," the climate monitor cited its director Carlo Buontempo as saying.

Prior to July 2023, the highest daily global average temperature was 16.8°C (62.24F), recorded on Aug. 13, 2016. Since July 3, 2023, there have been 57 days exceeding this record, "distributed between July and August 2023, and during June and July so far in 2024," the climate monitor said in a statement.